“Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” Dali Lama

All Time Favorites: Angular

I know I’m not alone in feeling sad the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenges have come to an end.  I’m not the most prolific blogger these days but this recurring event has been both my favorite online group activity and source of inspiration when my creative well is dry.  Not only did the prompts push me to new exploration but reading the varied responses in real-time was another eye-opener, there are so many ways to interpret one small word or idea and this international community never failed to deliver fresh perspectives.

Since the final prompt is All Time Favorites I went to my stats to find out your Photo Challenge favorite and was surprised to see the #1 post in both views and comments featured a photo that I re-worked and posted a second time just a few weeks ago.  I guess it was a favorite of mine too and the opening quote is a perfect fit for today’s message.

Below is the original post from November 2014 for your repeat enjoyment:

“Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” Dali Lama

“Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.”

Dali Lama

Libraries have always seemed like magical places to me and the freedom to walk aisles full of stories and information is a luxury I never take for granted. Through my childhood, school years and now as an adult materials I’ve borrowed have opened my eyes to new possibilities and points of view prompting even more questions and the reward of yet another trip to the library.

This exterior walkway around the Seattle Public Library is a popular place for photographers as well as a meeting space for Library patrons and pedestrians hoping to duck out of the rain on a spring afternoon and I’m posting it today as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Angular.

Good-bye Weekly Photo Challenge, I promise I’ll keep my eyes open for new angles and situations.

Lisa9 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Blur (Morning in Westlake Park)

Ah, lives of men! When prosperous they glitter – Like a fair picture; when misfortune comes – A wet sponge at one blow has blurred the painting.  Aeschylus

Blur

I spent some time searching quotes this morning looking for a starting point to accompany the word “blur” and of the many pages of quotations I read this one by Aeschylus stuck with me all day.  Walking through Westlake Park I knew why as the juxtaposition of the big department store full of glittery merchandise, a brightly colored food truck promoting small bites and happy times then a huddled homeless man trying to disappear into the stones brought the ancient Greek quote into modern-day.

Lisa40 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh (Pike Place Market)

Fresh

I’m pretty sure this “fresh” sign is meant to advertise freshly caught fish at Seattle’s Pike Place Market but each time I walk up this ramp I read the two signs together and think “fresh restrooms” below…

Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Fresh.

Lisa42 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale (Dragons in Chinatown) B&W Challenge 4

Scale

One of my favorite public art installations in Seattle is the series of 11 Chinese dragons twisting and turning their way across light poles in Chinatown’s International District. Under the direction of chief designer Martin Brunt it took a team of sculptors, painters, boat builders and a feng shui expert two years to complete the 300 lb dragons and though the intricate details and carefully pained scales look delicate they are designed to withstand winds up to 90 mph.

This is my 4th image for the Black & White 5 Day Challenge and is posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Scale.

Lisa51 Comments

A Word A Week: Sign

Sign

I know this is a change of pace from my usual photo style but Sue’s Word A Week Challenge is “Sign” and I don’t think I’ll ever have a better chance to post this shot of the back of a Seattle Metro Bus.

It’s an advertisement for the Washington State Health Plan Finder Website and the tag line reads “Don’t Leave It To Chance”.

We laughed all the way home. 🙂

Lisa30 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Monument

In this week’s challenge, show us your take on a monument (broadly defined). It could be a fresh angle on a well-known tourist site, or a place nobody knows outside your community— anything can be monumental as long as it’s imbued with a shared sense of importance.

Ben – The Daily Post

Monument

The Space Needle has to be one of the most photographed monuments in the Pacific Northwest and whenever I’m at Seattle Center I can’t resist snapping my fair share of pictures but along with the typical tourist shots I always try to capture a new angle so I can share a view of Seattle most of my readers haven’t seen before.

This image is from the bottom of a steep stairway outside the Experience Music Project Museum.  EMP’s curvy siding is visible on the left, the Space Needle is front and center and at the top of the stairs is a poster of Seattle native Jimi Hendrix.  Three monuments in one shot!

Posted as part of  the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Monument.

Lisa42 Comments

The Seattle Public Library

Seattle Public Library

A quick post today showing a second view of the Seattle Public Library.  My Reflections photo was taken below this point  looking back along the face of the building and for this one I stepped out to the sidewalk and looked all the way up…

Lisa41 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections

Reflections

Yesterday John, Ryan and I spent a fun few hours walking through Seattle Center, peering up at the Space Needle and meeting family for a play at the Seattle Children’s Theater.  I took plenty of interesting reflecting photos with this challenge in mind and even though you’ll still get a chance to see a few of them over the next week I found my final image at the end of the day in a different part of town.  We arrived a few minutes early for our dinner reservations at Tulio and John was nice enough to excuse me while I ran across the street to take as many pictures of the Seattle Public Library as I could before the sun set across Elliot Bay.

Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Reflections.

Lisa53 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside

So much of life happens inside something. A house, a car, a sleeping bag, a UFO…

Inside

The Yard in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood is our favorite place to relax on a wet Northwest afternoon while Ryan attends a new debate workshop at the fantastic writing school, 826 Seattle.   The school is a wonderful place but I’ll admit, the chance to hang out in a bar with my husband and some great food and drink is one of the reasons I’m so happy to sign him up for a new class every few months.

Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Inside.

Lisa45 Comments