Two Assignments in One!

I had hoped I would be able to address the Photography 101 assignment and the Weekly Photo Challenge in one post and I can!

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The Photography 101 assignment is:

Today, let’s focus on a street. It can be a quiet road in a small town, an alley near your apartment, or a busy street where pedestrians weave between cars and motorbikes….In your shot, think about its basic components: a foreground and a background. The foreground is the part of you that’s nearest to the viewer, and where you can place a subject or focal point of your picture.

I took this photo in a way the viewer might think that my focus was the texture of the road in the foreground.

The Weekly Photo Challenge is:

This week, show us your interpretation of descent — experiment with your point of view and angle, or go even deeper with the theme.

I think the picture above captures the concept of descent well!

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Completing these assignments reminded me of an incident that happened decades ago.  When it snows in Seattle it is nearly impossible for me to drive to or from my house.  This photo shows the road going west from my house. There are 8-10 more blocks of steep incline beyond what you see here; so driving uphill when there is snow on the ground is not an option.

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One year, I thought the one block decline going east was potentially doable so I decided to try it.

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I took a deep breath and turned the corner onto McClellan St.  When I looked into my rear view mirror, a moment or two later, I saw a station wagon sliding down the hill sideways.  Somehow, I avoided a collision, but that was the end of my driving when it is snowing in Seattle!  If I need to go somewhere I walk, take the bus or go by light rail!

12 thoughts on “Two Assignments in One!”

  3. The first view is SO Seattle, wow. Those narrow streets and steep hills will always give it away. (I’m from Portland but I drive up to Seattle a few times a year to visit friends.)

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    1. It creates a mess here too. People deride Seattlites because they make such a fuss over small amounts of snow. Some of it is because it happens so rarely that we never really learn to drive in the snow, but I think the hills are a big part of it too. People with the big SUVs do pretty well, but those of us with small cars are another matter.

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  5. The first photo of the road with texture reminds me of being on a roller coaster and the marks in the pavement look like tracks. i got that familiar queasy sensation of being right where the roller coaster goes over the peak of the first hill and is about to careen down! It’s been a looooong time but my gut remembers!

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