October 2018—Seattle

Upon arriving in Seattle over the weekend, I had the opportunity to take a loop around the sound, beginning in Pulallup and circling up through North Seattle before ending the day in Olympia. Along the way, I stopped at Puyallup UMC, Renton 1st UMC, 1st UMC Bellevue, Sand Point Community UMC, Tibbetts UMC, Highline UMC, Des Moines UMC, Fircrest UMC, and 1st UMC of Olympia.

Of the nine buildings I visited, some exceeded my expectations. Other shoots were more challenging. The most striking example of mid-century in the Seattle area was Sand Point Community. Aside from an extremely friendly pastor, Reverend Nico Romeijn-Stout, who greeted me with his equally energetic dog, Sand Point seemed almost unchanged since its construction. A problem with photographing midcentury churches are contemporary adornments (often felt wall banners) lining the walls. Sand Point was banner free which allowed me to focus on the frozen-in-time architecture. It is definitely worth a visit to worship or just to admire the craftsmanship.

I was excited to see Fircrest based on the sweeping peak of the sanctuary that I saw on Google Maps and it was equally impressive in person, but the lens that I was using didn’t capture the aesthetic for which I was hoping. I had used a wide-angle for exterior shots. Perhaps a telephoto lens would have worked better. Since I am relatively new to architectural photography, I still have a lot to learn.

The SEATAC area definitely has some architectural gems and deserves a second look. Having grown up in the northwest, returning to the region will give me a chance to visit friends as well as follow up on the project.