Last summer I hung out on this bridge near Ravenna Park for an hour or so, waiting for photo opportunities. Lots of activity and gorgeous light. I was trying to capture a neighborhood feel, while practicing depth of field and motion blur techniques. I got a lot of opportunities, but never quite nailed the perfect shot.
The light was really beautiful, although it was changing frequently which is challenging, and sometimes I totally abandoned technique to capture a moment. Perhaps I should have waited till this hiker was right in that white spot about 8 feet in front of him before I snapped the shutter. But the overall nature path is pretty cool.
I loved the dappled sunlight coming through the trees and the perspective when I got really close to the bridge. I think this shot is fairly successful with the blurred person on the other sidewalk, but it's still not really motion blur.
This cyclist offered my best chance, but it seems he just wasn't riding fast enough for there to be much of a motion trail behind him. Still a cool shot. If I have to hang out on this bridge for a whole day I'll do it!
The shallow depth of field is probably easier to achieve, especially with my prime lens, so that's what I kept falling back on. I do love the feel of these photos, as far as setting a scene of an urban neighborhood. Sometimes with photography you just have to be patient and wait for the picture to present itself.
Earlier that day, I sat on a bench and pointed my camera toward Green Lake, and actually captured this really fast motion blur of a mom running with her stroller. I wonder if she would recognize herself in this photo? That's the art of capturing strangers, but making them unidentifiable.