Photo by Scott Bourne
My assignment was simple. Photograph the Tacoma Museum of Glass.
It’s one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of thousands of photos of this beautiful structure already exist. My job was to approach the same old thing and NOT shoot it in the same old way.
So what to do?
I decided early on to avoid including the fountain. Everyone includes the fountain. And while beautiful, I wanted to include something that made more of a statement about the region. Pierce County, Washington is home to Tacoma and quite a bit of rural farming land. It’s also very tied to water and industry. It’s not nearly as sexy or cosmopolitan as Seattle. On the other hand, it’s a modern city with as many museums inside the city limits as there are in some entire states. It’s more progressive than most people realize, and I wanted to balance it’s forward-thinking side with it’s traditional rural and industrial side.
My approach was based on shooting the main “hot shop,” the dome that is, from several different angles, using several different focal lengths.
I also knew that I was going to uncharacteristically rely on some cool post-processing tricks to make my images stand out.
I started with a simple shot that included part of the Hot Shop and a relatively new steel cable bridge. This showed the connection between the transportation, water and the museum.
My next two shots were made with the Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 lens, standing at the base of the cone. I previsualized these shots as being metalic, showing off the progressive nature of the area. I planned to solarize these pictures and shot them accordingly. Using a combination of Nik Silver Efex Pro and Nik Color Efex Pro, I got the results I was looking for. The fourth shot was also given the same treatment but taken from the other side, using the 24-70 f/2.8 for a different perspective.
Photo by Scott Bourne
Photo by Scott Bourne
Photo by Scott Bourne
The fifth shot was my first attempt at bringing old and new together, along with the notion that there is a great deal of rural land within the city of Tacoma. I juxtaposed a more than hundred-year-old mill (now a converted condo on the waterfront) with some grasses and the cone. I like the story, but it wasn’t quite as dramatic as it needed to be.
Photo by Scott Bourne
So then I got the sixth shot and the one that was selected to go to publication. It’s a simpler composition, blurring the cone in the background and focusing on the grass. Everyone liked it, and I managed to shoot the most photographed landmark in Tacoma in a new way.
Photo by Scott Bourne
Whether or not you agree with my approach, the goal of this post was to get you thinking about how you can shoot an old, familiar subject, in brand new ways.
NOTE: This is our 500th post in 2008!
This post sponsored by Audible. For a free downloadable book, go to Audiblepodcast.com/TWIP.
Scott–
Great shots. I just purchased the Nik suite and am starting to learn how to use it. Could you please share some details on what you did with the second shot?
–Rich
Scott–
Great shots. I just purchased the Nik suite and am starting to learn how to use it. Could you please share some details on what you did with the second shot?
–Rich
@Rich Thanks. I used Aperture’s “Color Monochrome” adjustment to make the image mostly monochrome, leaving a hint of the original color in the shot. Then I used Aperture’s “Edit With” command to export the image to Nik Color Efex Pro where I used the “Solarize” command. I then round tripped the image back to Aperture for final cropping, sharpening, etc.
@Rich Thanks. I used Aperture’s “Color Monochrome” adjustment to make the image mostly monochrome, leaving a hint of the original color in the shot. Then I used Aperture’s “Edit With” command to export the image to Nik Color Efex Pro where I used the “Solarize” command. I then round tripped the image back to Aperture for final cropping, sharpening, etc.
Very snazzy shots!
It’s rare I’ll like a black and white over color, but these one’s work for me. Nice apporach and effects. :cool:
Striking museum too…I luuuv glass art!
(I just have to move back out to the West Coast…) ‘sigh’
Very snazzy shots!
It’s rare I’ll like a black and white over color, but these one’s work for me. Nice apporach and effects. :cool:
Striking museum too…I luuuv glass art!
(I just have to move back out to the West Coast…) ‘sigh’
Wow, lovely. This really enforces that I need to visit the Seattle area :)
Thanks Scott!
Wow, lovely. This really enforces that I need to visit the Seattle area :)
Thanks Scott!
Scott – Thanks for sharing all of this great knowledge. I love how you are able (and willing) to help make everyone a better photographer in a few paragraphs!
Scott – Thanks for sharing all of this great knowledge. I love how you are able (and willing) to help make everyone a better photographer in a few paragraphs!
great post… again! Congratulations on 500, I’m even more excited for the next 500!
great post… again! Congratulations on 500, I’m even more excited for the next 500!
The “glassmuseum7a” shot is very striking; very dramatic. The clouds look like they are “erupting” from the museum. Well done, sir! Thanks for the inspiration!
The “glassmuseum7a” shot is very striking; very dramatic. The clouds look like they are “erupting” from the museum. Well done, sir! Thanks for the inspiration!
These are gerat ways to get that location!
I was down there in Old Tacoma over the holiday weekend but didn’t get to the museum this year. :-(
I love Dale Chihuly’s exhibit! He’s one of my favorite artists….that and of course Ansel Adams. ;-)
These are gerat ways to get that location!
I was down there in Old Tacoma over the holiday weekend but didn’t get to the museum this year. :-(
I love Dale Chihuly’s exhibit! He’s one of my favorite artists….that and of course Ansel Adams. ;-)
Great post Scott! One of the biggest challenges in my photography is not so much “getting the shot” as much as “getting the shot in a way no one else has”. I get a lot of odd looks when i end up standing next to a building with my tripod craned up at an odd angle, but I can usually bet 99% of the shots of that building won’t look like mine!
Great post Scott! One of the biggest challenges in my photography is not so much “getting the shot” as much as “getting the shot in a way no one else has”. I get a lot of odd looks when i end up standing next to a building with my tripod craned up at an odd angle, but I can usually bet 99% of the shots of that building won’t look like mine!
These are amazing! I love the first shots!
These are amazing! I love the first shots!
Nice post, I like the way you explain your thought process, it can be so easy to get stuck in a rut with familiar buildings!
Nice post, I like the way you explain your thought process, it can be so easy to get stuck in a rut with familiar buildings!
Scott, great job capturing these famous buildings. I know exactly what you are talking about trying to take a different angle at these icons. Here are three of my attempts:
http://flickr.com/photos/mgroves84/2580328639/in/set-72157605628741219/
http://flickr.com/photos/mgroves84/2581162892/in/set-72157605628741219/
http://flickr.com/photos/mgroves84/2581161334/in/set-72157605628741219/
Scott, great job capturing these famous buildings. I know exactly what you are talking about trying to take a different angle at these icons. Here are three of my attempts:
http://flickr.com/photos/mgroves84/2580328639/in/set-72157605628741219/
http://flickr.com/photos/mgroves84/2581162892/in/set-72157605628741219/
http://flickr.com/photos/mgroves84/2581161334/in/set-72157605628741219/
This illustrates a number of great lessons, but the one I’m taking away comes from the last two shots. It appears to me that you may have moved the camera no more than a foot or two between those shots, yet the results are very different. The one thing that I find the most frustrating about photography is standing somewhere KNOWING that there is a great shot just a couple steps away, but having no idea where to find it! You, obvioulsy, don’t suffer from that problem.
This illustrates a number of great lessons, but the one I’m taking away comes from the last two shots. It appears to me that you may have moved the camera no more than a foot or two between those shots, yet the results are very different. The one thing that I find the most frustrating about photography is standing somewhere KNOWING that there is a great shot just a couple steps away, but having no idea where to find it! You, obvioulsy, don’t suffer from that problem.
Great shots…
I go to school right around the corner and I’ve thought to myself how can I shoot this area in a different way. Thanks for the inspiration!
Great shots…
I go to school right around the corner and I’ve thought to myself how can I shoot this area in a different way. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks, Scott, for sharing what you did with Nik Color Efex Pro. I would never think of using the solarize command with a black and white image. It was a pleasant surprise. I hope you may volunteer more such suggestions in the future. In any event, allow me to join the teeming masses in their kudos on your photos.
Thanks, Scott, for sharing what you did with Nik Color Efex Pro. I would never think of using the solarize command with a black and white image. It was a pleasant surprise. I hope you may volunteer more such suggestions in the future. In any event, allow me to join the teeming masses in their kudos on your photos.