Travel: April 2005 Archives

Continental flight 385, Seattle to Houston, somewhere over...Colorado, perhaps?

Jen laughed at me while taking this one, probably because at this point I had already taken at least a dozen shots of the infamous Public Market sign at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

This girl was trying to feed the pigeons on a pier in Seattle as I watched from above. She held out a french fry and waited for a pigeon to approach. She stayed completely still...until the pigeon actually bit, at which point she screamed and started giggling with her friend.

Before heading north to see the tulips, I insisted on a trip to the tourist mecca that is the Pike Place Market. I had only two goals: make a clicheed but necessary pilgrimage to the first Starbucks and see men throwing fish. I succeeded in both, but failed in photographing them. However, this shot of fat Dungeness crabs at Pike Place Fish turned out well.

I am fascinated by what I called the "structural marvels" of the cities I visit. St. Louis Arch. Golden Gate Bridge. Eiffel Tower. And so on.

Knowing that, you can imagine why I'm disappointed that while I stared at the Space Needle every chance I got, I didn't get a great photo of it. Instead, I humorously present this: a triptych of crappy pictures I took out the window of cars.

Here's a final shot for now of my trip to Vancouver and Whistler in mid-March, and what would be more fitting than a shot of the city as we flew away.

Again, there are so many things wrong with this shot thanks to engine exhaust and a really cruddy window. I posted it because despite all the flaws, I like it.

In other news, I'm back from Seattle with new photos to follow.

Ruey, Cari and Gavin riding rented bikes around Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC.

As I alluded to yesterday, this shot was also "Holga-ized" in post-processing. I often struggle with just how much post-processing to do on an image. While I believe that no amount post-processing can save a truly bad photo, the role that post-processing plays in my photography is always in the back of my mind. With even low-level knowledge of Photoshop, it's possible to significantly change the feel and tone of images.

I'm not a true purist; I subscribe strongly to the idea that basic Photoshopping is no different from what can be accomplished in the physical darkroom. (I think Photoshopping is probably easier, and thus more accessible, but the basic idea is the same.) But I wonder if I rely on it a bit too much to fix mistakes that I was just too lazy to correct real-time.

I gave this photo, and yesterday's, the Holga effect for two reasons. First, I wanted a color "Holga" shot, since I haven't found any 120mm color film locally yet. But second, because the effect made two mediocre pictures become more interesting, at least to me. The second reason is what got me thinking.

Feel free to share your thoughts.

Vancouver Airport, international arrivals terminal. The colors and shadows were such that I decided to "Holga-ize" this one. Does it work?