My Flickr Pick is back with an all to awesome sci-fi twist. I know I’ve been all over Flickr the past week or so, but a website that holds millions of images is bound to turn up several humorous imagery gold mines - and this one does not disappoint.

Cindi Geeze has been taking pictures of her storm trooper figurines in what would be described as normal everyday snap shots, if it were real life. At dinner, in the snow and during valentines day; Cindi’s imagination has been able to convey emotion through the mask of a storm trooper toy… as weird as that sounds.

I can tell you all about what is there, but as they say, a picture says a thousand words; so you best check it out for yourself. You can find it on her Flickr page in Storm Troopin’ which has already been viewed over 100,000 times as well as her other toy shots. You can also find an interview with Cindi on the Star Wars Blog.

This weeks Flickr Pick is an homage to the town in which I live in: Seattle, WA. I have lived in the Seattle area all but 4 years of my life. In my travels and interactions with people outside the pacific northwest, I have found one common sentiment; it dumps rain in Seattle… ALL THE TIME. When in fact, this is not entirely true… There are many cities around the country that receive just as much rain as we do. Even New York City averages more inches of rain than Seattle in a year. The reality is, the precipitation in Seattle is spread through-out the year evenly which gives us a sort of overcast misting effect rather than dumping rain storms as most are lead to believe. This misting effect also renders an umbrella completely useless (See: How to spot a tourist in Seattle).

All semantics aside, I chose this weeks Flickr Pick not just because this is what it has felt like the past week here in Seattle, but also because it’s a great angle on the beautiful Seattle skyline. I’m game for any shot of the Emerald City that can show it has more than one good angle. All too often the main shot of Seattle is either taken from an approaching ferry, a night shot from the Beacon Hill or from Queen Ann with Mt. Rainier in the background. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about the pacific northwest; there aren’t many places where it goes from salt water sea level to snow capped 14,000 foot mountain peaks. There are just so many other photogenic opportunities and sides to this wonderful city.

Take it from me, a summer in Seattle is well worth the wet winter months.

This image comes from Dean Forbes who lives and works in Seattle and was captured from his office lunchroom window. A majority of Dean’s images come from the Seattle area. He has several sets of images devoted to the Emerald City with a spectacular Black & White Seattle set. There is also a Spring 2008 set featuring the cherry trees and the quad on the University of Washington campus which I will be venturing to on the very same photographic mission this Sunday.

Similar to last week’s Flickr Pick, this one seems very different at first glance. It’s only after the second or third take that you realize what this image is composed of. What seems to be out of a 1930’s Walt Disney Sci-Fi flick gone awry, is in fact, made up of everyday objects that one might find around an antique shop - or in this case, Martin Taylor’s office:

Invention constructed from objects found around my office/playroom. Was going for a sort of robot Mickie Mouse effect.

I think he nailed exactly what he was going for. This piece is a part of a 366 day project where Martin produces at least one image per day for an entire year, plus a day. This picture is number 81 of 366. If you have some time to spare, swing by Martin’s Flickr space and check out the other great work he has on display. You will also find some very interesting homages to other well known photographers such as Andreas Feininger, Andre Kertesz, Irving Penn and Chema Madoz.

I browse the main Flickr feed on a regular basis looking for interesting images and inspiration. I’ve decided to do my own “Flickr Pick” to share what I find. Let’s start it off with one of my own images…

This is one of my favorite pictures that I’ve taken. It’s not too entirely original, I’m sure others have found this gum wall and not only added a piece to it but also taken a picture of it. I just like the impact when people realize what it is. Thousands of stale, chewed up and spat out pieces of bubble gum adhered to a brick wall with care and attention. The gum spans a good thirty feet wide by a about fifteen feet high. I have no idea how anyone was capable of reaching that high with nothing to climb on, but they must have been pretty passionate about where they wanted to leave their mark. It’s just another quirky aspect of the Pike Place Market here in Seattle, WA.

If you are ever in the downtown Seattle area and find that your gum has run tough and flavorless, skip the trash can and visit the gum wall. Leave your mark, let us know you were in town. You can find it in Pike Place where they throw fish, beneath the bronze pig in Post Alley.

Trivia: There is a Cigarette Butt in the above image, can you find it?