Experience Photography Project (Architecture???)

[regnaD kciN]

DISCLAIMER (i.e. the F.Gordon Rule): This poll is advisory only. I may choose a photo from this poll other than the one that receives the highest vote total. Moreover, I reserve the right to select a photo, particularly a newly-taken one, that was not part of this poll. (Although I would note that the likelihood of that is low this month, as we are scheduled for rain from now until the contest submission date.)

I'm sure you all (or at least F.Gordon ;-) ) knew what was going to happen once I added that last parenthetical comment to my poll thread. Yep...a change in the forecast. Instead of continuous rain all week, we were to get one sunny day (Monday) before the storms rolled in.

And you didn't expect me to go out picture-hunting?

Since the day was supposed to be bright and sunny (or at least partially so -- the clouds arrived in mid-afternoon, earlier than expected), I decided to see what I could capture of the controversial Experience Music Project in Seattle Center, that vast, undulating blob of colored glass and mirrored surfaces that is as close as most of us old-timers can get to a psychedelic experience here in the 21st century. (And which, it should be noted, already made an appearance in my poll thread as the background for Wild River Experience.)

It didn't take too long to realize that, whatever else I might call these photos, I would be loathe to call them "architectural photography." For, to my mind, architectural photography implies an overview of at least a significant part of the building being photographed -- and there's really no way to get a good overview of EMP except from a vantage point that features busy city streets, power poles, overhead traffic signals, hordes of tourists, the monorail track, and at least one prominent McDonald's sign. In other words, decidedly un-groovy. To capture the essence of the Experience Music Project, you have to get in close, gathering it in near-abstract bits and pieces; in the process, making the photographer the equivalent of one of the proverbial blind men describing the elephant.

Thus, I really don't think I'm going to enter any of these in this month's competition. However, I thought I'd post a sampling here, as a way to recall a fascinating building (and one of the most enjoyable afternoons I've spent with a camera).
























(Incidentally, for those of you who haven't noticed, the sixth picture features a distorted reflection of the Space Needle -- an archetype of the Sixties reflected in an homage to that same decade.)

[lakemonster11]

1. These are great.

I especially like the fourth picture. The colors complement each other beautifully, and the photograph captures both the two- and three-dimensional forms of the building nicely.

I would call them architectural photography, but then I would disagree about architectural photographs having to show a significant part of a building/structure. Architectural elements like arches, columns, capitals, windows, doors, etc., are all popular subjects for photographers.

The EMP has always intimated me as a photographic subject. I've seen a lot of great shots other photographers have taken there, but it's just such a bulging, twisting, shapeless mass with constantly shifting colors and reflections...I find it overwhelming.

This is the only shot I've ever really taken there, a couple of years ago at the beer fest:



(I don't understand why my photobucket pictures are tiny now---I'm using the same workflow I always have. Is anyone else having this problem? :shrug:)

As you can see, I was indeed struggling to cut out trees, tourists, and other distractions. I decided to work with the monorail tracks, however. I took a couple of abstract photos that day, too, but none of them really turned out very interesting.

I may have to take my camera over there tomorrow if it's a nice day. It's my last night of trivia at the Liquid Lounge, so I'm going there anyway. :cry:

[F.Gordon]

2. Not enter?

:shrug:

Damn that F.Gordon rule
:crazy:

A few of those are major vote magnets... more importantly true works of ART. Regardless, hope you at the very least print/frame a few of these to put on the wall of your crib but probably more appealing to you.. hope you can sell some of these. 2,4,5,and 6 (my faves) deserve more than a cursory glance in some obscure internet photo group. IMHO.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing these. My "Iowa Jewish Guilt Syndrome" is kicking in big time. Wish I'd had the time to go out and snap some new archies. I'm really inspired by what you and everyone else has done. But I doubt the mountains of paperwork that has taken over my desk would hardly qualify as an archie shot... and that would be all I would have the time to do right now. :-(

:thumbsup: :applause:

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Damn but I love Frank Geary architecture!

Lucky you!!

[intheflow]

4. These are gorgeous. I would welcome many of them in the contest.

I don't think photos 2, 5, or 8 would qualify because their focus seems to be on reflections or sillouette rather than archtecture, but any of the others could be entered, no problemo.

I really lov the 4th one and the 6th one.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Whoa - I think I'm having a flashback...

:hippie: These are gorgeous.

[CC]

6. The fourth one would work great for

the contest, though I like all of them. They would make a great set of framed photos, even just say 4 of them in one frame. Actually started to answer earlier then had to play in photoshop with your pics. So here is an example of them framed.



They would look great as 8x10's framed up and hanging on a wall, hell I'm with Gordon in that these are works of art that deserve to be hung and shown.

[NV Whino]

7. Four is wonderful

Actually they are all wonderful. I bet you could photograph that puppy every day from the same spot come up with totally different photos.

[Fovea]

8. Truely magnificent work!

You must have been wearing pyramid patchouli.

[NashVegas]

9. In Small Pieces

The building is quite interesting. You make it look good.

Of the whole, I side with those who call it an "architectural monstrosity." I find it telling that I wasn't able to find a feature photo of the building as a whole on EMP's own website.

[regnaD kciN]

10. No photo on EMP website...

I think that has less to do with the architectural quality of the building itself than the fact, as I mentioned above, that there really is so much "clutter" around it that you can't get a clean shot without all kinds of visual garbage getting in the way -- ugly stuff that has nothing to do with the EMP itself.

I find it quite fascinating up close, and a very nice compliment to the Space Needle from a long distance (which usually works out to a vantage point from I-5 or the hills to the east:



It's just in "establishing shot" distance that you really can't get a clear view. And that's hardly the fault of the building itself.