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I'm thinking about heading over to Seattle on Saturday morning and staking out a spot from which to shoot the Blue Angels. (I've lived in the area for five and a half years and never once seen them perform, so I figured this weekend was a good a time as any.) I was thinking of heading to the park above the west end of the I-90 bridge, or perhaps walking out on the high-rise structure itself if WSDOT hasn't closed off the portion with a decent view down the lake, but would welcome location suggestions from others who have shot the event before.
Per the DOT website, and what I saw on the webcams today, the highrise portion of the bridge will be open to pedestrians.
If you're going to shoot from the little park on Saturday, I suggest you get there early. In fact, you might want to head out now...
Another option would be to watch from the East end of the bridge, i.e on Mercer Island. However, since it's an early afternoon show, the light will (slightly) favor shooting from the west side of the lake.
The Mt Baker Ridge Viewpoint and also a small open area just to the east both seem like they'd be really cool places to watch. But they're both VERY small, and I"m sure the locals will be packing in early.
I seriously considered going up there and shooting today, but with the practice sessions you never quite know what you'll get, and how low they'll go.
Mt Baker Viewpoint. This would be a cool view with the jets flying over downtown. But be warned, it's extremely small, pretty much a big patio! I suspect it would be crowded, but maybe not too crowded, since most folks would probably be a block or so to the east at...
Days St and 32nd. That's Bellevue in the background. Both of these locations are directly over the I-90 tunnel. In fact, you could walk down the I-90 trail as well a block or two and get to the overlook right above the tunnel, which would also be a great spot.
But I think it would be really cool to get a shot looking DOWN on the planes from the higher viewpoint, or at least pretty much at eye level with them. THere's millions of shots of the Blue Angels up in the sky, but if you can get an angle that has a distinct background, be it Seattle, Bellevue, the I-90 bridge, or the race course, then you have something a bit more unique, and of course it establishes the locale as Seattle.
This is where I'd probably shoot from if I was going, but that's just me...
I find it exciting to be at the airport where they take off/land.
There's 2 areas that are excellent for their ground proximity antics:
Ruby Chow Park: (Near Albro Place and Airport Way S. on the Northern edge of the field.)
Situated directly north and under runway 31-Left departure at Boeing-King County Airport (KBFI). They will be right over your head on departure. Fantastic shots right down the runway centerline. If you are a REAL geek and have a hand-held scanner, they are using 255.2Mhz for communication this year. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=KBFI&...625,-95.677068&sspn=56.506174,114.169922&z=16
There are also several industrial companies along East Marginal way with shared parking in the back, which is right alongside runway 31L. Here they will do several low flybys and it's also a reference point used to set up for the next maneuver.
"We own the airfield, we own the airspace!... Light 'em up!"
If you want to see them at the field, I'd go to the museum of flight. Yes, you'll pay to get in, but you'll be up close to the flight line. It's great to watch these guys get ready, they do EVERYTHING in formation, including the walk to the planes.
...you don't even have to pay to see the Blues saddle up. as you enter the area, they will be off to your right. Of course after they are finished it's always fun to go inside.
i've seen the Blues enough times... i'm going to Paine Field to see a much older and slower aircraft - FHC's newly restored FW190-A5. a much rarer sight, and far less crowded!
Thanks again for the suggestions, everyone. I ended up on the west I-90 high-rise, about halfway between the closure point and the tunnel portal. Mistake; it was hard to get shots looking south or east across the lake because of all the people. Next year, if I do the bridge again, I'll stay down at the closure point and hopefully be able to see more.
I was really considering heading up there on Saturday. I went so far as to preview some shots on Youtube. However, when I did that, and saw how brief some of the "entire blue angels show" videos were, I realized the shows weren't as long as I was thinking they were.
Did you get any photos, and just how long did the show last?
OK, sounds great! About 1/2 hour is what I was thinking. That's a nice show, no doubt, but I'm not a big fan of crowds, and they don't get much bigger than the crowds at Seafair, so I really wasn't up for all the time and effort involved. Maybe once I see your shots I'll change my mind for next year.
Saw this too late but maybe for next year. One of the best spots in near the pits or the race sponsors VIP area/tent. They come in right over your head as that is where they line up center from. That first pass you don't even hear them coming, then zoom there they are.
We did it there in 2000 when GM was the major sponsor and my wife still had connections with GMAC where she had worked.
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