Postcard from Port Townsend

I had some post-processing fun with this photo. This is the Jefferson County Courthouse, located in Port Townsend, WA.  It is a historic building, built in the 1890’s. The day I photographed this image, it was not the best light. The day was a bit overcast and even foggy at times. But with the help of Photoshop and a couple of my favorite plug-ins, I was able to create an interesting photo with a lot of magical, mystical qualities. It has the quality of an HDR photo, but was not done using the standard HDR techniques

Port Townsend lies at the Northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. It is a charming small town that offers some nice opportunities for browsing, shopping, and even photographic opportunities for camera nuts like me. It is well worth a visit.

Thanks to the on-line city guide to Port Townsend, here is a little more information on its history:

“Originally named 'Port Townshend' by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townshend) in 1792, Port Townsend was immediately recognized as a good, safe harbor, which it remains to this day. The official settlement of the city took place on the 24th of April, 1851. Called the "City of Dreams" because of the early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast, wealthy and prosperous, somehow though, those early dreams failed to materialize...”

To get to Port Townsend, you either take a ferry boat from Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) across the Puget Sound…OR, drive south from Seattle to Tacoma, where the Olympic Peninsula meets the Washington State mainland, then go north up the Peninsula. Either way is a rewarding trip.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.