Where is the best place to photograph Seattle’s skyline? That is what I asked myself the day after I got married. My new wife and I decided to spend our first day as a married couple driving around the Seattle metro area seeing sights and eating eats. I Googled around, I looked at maps, I even asked my uncle who has lived in this awesome city for 40+ years. Almost all of my search results pointed to Kerry Park. As great as Kerry Park is, it felt sort of… typical. The Space Needle is everywhere in photos of Seattle. So I tried to find another viewpoint to photograph Seattle’s skyline.
Finally in the evening, I ran across a photograph of Seattle with intertwined freeways, some mountains, the Seahawks’ stadium, some buildings, and no Space Needle. It was easy to tell from where the photo was taken, so I headed to Google Maps and found where to go… Beacon Hill.
We parked at Dr. Jose Rizal Park and walked back to the old green 12th Street Bridge spanning Interstate 90. I feel it is the best place to photograph Seattle if you don’t want to see the Space Needle. You still have iconic Seattle landmarks including the Mariners and Seahawks stadiums, the Olympic Mountains, the Columbia Center and Elliot Bay. Plus if you are here at night, you have the added bonus of light trails.
If you’re looking for the best place to photograph Seattle aside from Kerry Park, then head over to Beacon Hill’s 12th Street Bridge!