Thursday, July 17, 2008

Discovery park - West point lighthouse


West point Light house, Discovery park, Seattle
Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 24-70mm
Image details: 43mm, f/8.0, 1/25sec, ISO 100


West point lighthouse is one of the best places in Seattle to shoot sunset. There are great photo opportunities from the north beach as well as the south beach. The south beach has lot of driftwood which you can use for some interesting compositions. The trail to the lighthouse is also on the south side. You can make some interesting compositions of the trail leading to the lighthouse. The north side of the beach also has interesting views. You can compose the waves crashing against the rocks at the base of the lighthouse.

Sunset is a great time to shoot the lighthouse. Wait for a few minutes after sunset to get the golden glow. Also try to pick a day with lots of clouds in the sky - it will make the composition more interesting. The best time is probably the day before/after a summer storm.

Directions to discovery park

Make sure to spend some time at the visitor center near the entrance of the park. I usually park at the North parking lot and make my way towards the beach. There are a maze of trails here -make sure you keep track of where you are going.

If you don't want to rough it out on the trails and want to stick along the road - make your way up to the Utah avenue and follow it down to the beach. (Take the left fork at the other end of the playground near the north parking lot) This is probably the best way to make it back to your car after dark. Also make sure to take a flashlight with you to help you find your way after dark.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dharshan,

YOu give a lot of great information, especially for someone new to the area. So thank you so much. Like a lot of your shots, one question I have, have you used a circular polarizer when shooting the water? wondering. Hope you have a good day.

Cristina

Dharshan said...

Cristina,

Glad you find it useful. I try to use a circular polarizer when I shoot during the day. However I dont use it much during sunrise/sunset as it costs me one f stop and does not seem to make much difference.

Anonymous said...

are you actually allowed to park/drive out to the lighthouse area? The signs give the impression that civilians can't use that road, since it's on the army base.

Dharshan said...

Previously they didn't - but i've heard that now you can get a permit and drive to the lighthouse. I'll update when I have more details.

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