New Year’s Eve Dawn Over Seattle

Gorgeous Dawn on December 31, 2010 Kerry Park is a common and popular location to photograph the Seattle skyline. The view seen from this unobstructed overlook is a 180 degree view of Elliott Bay to the West, sweeping across the downtown skyline, to the Cascade Mountains on the East. The weather has been very clear and cold for several days, so as I got up this morning it was with the heightened expectation of a glorious dawn. Puttering around the kitchen I made a pot of coffee, then enjoyed sipping a cup while checking email. Finally about 06:15 I filled a commuter mug full of coffee then gathered my camera gear together, I took off. When I arrived at the park it was just after 07:00 and the railing along the southern steep edge of the park was already quite thickly lined with photographers with their long lenses and tripods. I picked an open spot, set up my gear and started shooting. It became quite clear that I hadn’t dressed warmly enough for the hour long photo session outside, the biting 23 degrees quickly seeped though the several layers of clothing I had on, including a down vest! Just as the brilliant and fast changing colors of dawn began to fade, I stopped taking photos. My hands were beet red and virtually useless, having become unable to change lenses or trip my shutter remote any longer. Coming home I then sat down with yet more hot coffee and began the enjoyable chore of processing my images, paring them down from 147 to just 14 keepers. This image was one of the last I shot, taken at the height of the colors of dawn at 07:54.