August 1, 2004 - Seattle, Washington
The Troll Around Seattle
Because I actually live in Seattle, it's sometimes difficult to convince myself to go out and check out all the touristy places around town. However, Torvald has given me new excuses...
The first outing with Torvald in Seattle was because of a serious subject, the harrassment of a local photography student by "homeland security" when he took pictures of the Ballard Locks. A photography workshop was planned as a peaceful response, and on August 1st, 2004 a large group of photographers showed up to take pictures. Here is my official blog report of the event, but these pictures were taken at the same time...
There was no spot to place the troll. None. Not one spot where I could safely set down the troll and take a picture. So this image is my first ever hold-the-troll-in-one-hand-while-taking-a-picture-with-the-other shot. The lack of troll feet probably gave it away.
Hrm. Torvald seems to be standing at the foot of some sort of metal thing. I wonder what it is...
What if I pull back a little so you can see where the troll is standing? This is the wave sculpture on the south side of the Locks. In short, Torvy is about to get swamped by a big metal wave. I particularly like the way the shadows looked on this image. The light plays very nicely on the sculpture.
I saw at least two "point of interest" anchors around the Locks. I managed to get a shot of Torvald hanging out on this one. The sign is a tribute to shipbuilder Thomas Heinrich Petersen (1836-1915) who built ships at the future site of the locks, back when Salmon Bay was still a tidal creek. I confess that the troll seemed more interested in the design of the monument than what it said.
One final shot at the locks, set up with the timely assistance of fellow blogger Garrett Fitzgerald since my usual assistant wasn't around. This perch was a lot less stable than it appeared to be, and I feared that Torvald might tumble into the fish ladder if a stiff breeze came along. Happily, we got the shot, and you can see the troll with the locks and the fish ladder attraction water behind him.
Watch my blog for future updates to this section of Travels With The Troll.