Cloudy day inspiration in Ballard
I think every artist has that moment when they begin to find their voice and can start to articulate what they like and don’t like in their work. I’m far from being that articulate about my journey, but I’ve started to get an intuition for what “makes sense” to my head.
I got out of my car to this scene with a little cafe and felt energized. Despite the grey weather, perhaps there’d be some opportunity here.
I didn’t feel particularly energized about the conditions or the subjects out on the docks. There were a few interesting objects, like these red wheelbarrows alongside the narrows, but otherwise no other subjects flittered in (a passing ship, perhaps).
I intended to go to the Ballard Farmer’s Market from here, but honestly? I didn’t get a single photo of the market. I just didn’t see the point — what was I going to say about this market? I had nothing to say, no story to tell. The above shots are the best ones I picked from this walk. The small alleys, the streets heading down to the docks, these were far more interesting on this cloudy day. They captured what I was feeling. In other words, I felt compelled to showcase them.
I ended the morning driving down to Golden Gardens. I didn’t stay long but I’m glad I went — these were easily my best shots today. There was light rain falling on the other side of the channel, and this park gets a lot of foot traffic from families, dog walkers, and morning joggers.
One of my favorite techniques for an overcast day at the beach is to shoot in black and white. There isn’t much color to begin with, so here we can just focus on the values of light. No rain was falling on this shore, which added some nice contrast between the beach and the waters beyond.
Perhaps shots like these just capture my mood on days like this better. These scenes capture life just as well as a bustling market, but they are quieter, more contemplative.