Sun-Starved

Our Vitamin-D deficient adventures in Seattle (and elsewhere)
 

30 Reasons why I love doing photo tours in Seattle

Many know that besides my Studio and many other things that I do, I work for a small Seattle-based start-up company called Shutter Tours.  The premise is very simple: you visit Seattle and we walk with you for 3 hours (Pike Place Market, Downtown and the Waterfront), while we talk about our city and photography.  From toy cameras to brand new Nikon D3s, we have had a broad array of photography lovers (professionals and amateurs) coming from different countries, as well as Americans and Seattleites. 

No matter the level of expertise or where our participants come from, it's always a great opportunity to meet people, to teach and to learn from others.

And maybe one of the things I find most useful--in this case for me--is that because of Shutter Tours, I get to go out, keep my street photography fresh, keep current with our wonderful city's changes, and make and cultivate friendships along the way.  I lost the count of how many photos I have taken since I'm working here, but I can assure you it might be around 2,000 photos JUST during the tours.  Sometimes it's to explain a concept or because the photo winks at me while passing by. Other times, it's just an exercise that might come out as a portfolio shot.  Perhaps, it's just a quiet moment I don't want to forget.  

More reasons?  Oh, yes.

 

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I get to hang out with cool people like James (and photograph them)
 
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I get to have second-timers (like Joan), who bring their friends. Also, I get to do portraits with "grafitti aura"!
 
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I get to photograph great light fixtures, and quirky art
 
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I get to photograph the seasons of Washington's beautiful produce, and the fun guys who sell them.  I also get to become friends with them, print their photos to give them away so they can send them to their moms (I'm serious!)
 
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Yes, of the 2,000 photos I have, perhaps 500 are of the Gum Wall and the Post Alley sign.  Lots of space but it helps with practicing perspective!
 
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I enjoy the quiet moments.  They are sheer beauty.
 
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And often, I am amazed by how Seattle's landscape can look different just based on the "daily serving of clouds" or...when some bizarre moments can create a "platform" for the Market's sign (intense message et al).
 
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The rest of the photos that make the 30 reasons are here: portraits, smiles, adventures, still life, on so on.  Please enjoy these images as much as I do when capturing them.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Filed under  //   Photo Tours   Photography   Seattle   Shutter Tours   Street Photography  
Posted July 27, 2010 by Valentina Vitols 
// 4 Comments
 

Support your local artists!

I took these photos almost a year ago, when we were on a special media tour for Shutter Tours. I worked for this company for three of the four seasons in 2009. I greeted visitors and locals and took them around Pike Place Market, Downtown Seattle and the Waterfront, cameras in hand or strapped to their necks. 

For five months, I joyfully told the same stories and helped people to improve their photographic skills by teaching them basic concepts. I enjoyed Spring, Summer and early Fall drifting through produce and flowers. In the process, I shared three passions with my "students": observation, people and Seattle. 

This job was delightful and engaging. I got to learn the big historical highlights and the little gossip about my new hometown. I met many hardworking vendors and artists at the Market. I made friends from New Zealand, U.K, Germany and NYC. I engaged in culture-driven conversations. I explained the importance of a visual record. I got to photograph almost every day.

Going through the street photographs I made during this time, I ran into these images. I am a local artist as well, only with an accent and a place to work at. I believe these women struggles and mine are quite different, but we share one thing: our lives are about making art. Some times I wish to go back to the Market to wait for people, and spend hours walking and talking about exposure, rules of thirds, use of light and, especially, purpose. Then, help them entwine these elements with the dynamic and aesthetics of Seattle.

I believe in what makes me a local artist: my passion for images and my love for Seattle.

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Filed under  //   Photo Tours   Photography   Pike Place Market   Seattle   Teaching  
Posted February 23, 2010 by Valentina Vitols 
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