Seattle's Space Needle in Autumn

THE LOCATION: Space Needle, Seattle Center, Seattle, Wash.

THE GEAR: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV | EF 16-36mm f/2.8L II USM

GPS: 47°37'13.7208" N 122°20'59.6724" W

THE STORY: How do you photograph something that's been photographed a zillion times?

These days, we have to ask ourselves this more than ever. The Instagramming of every location has pushed us to try and be more creative when we find an iconic location.

One key way to achieve this is to do what famed Nikon ambassador and wedding photographer Cliff Mautner advises - think three dimensionally.

Foreground, subject, background. Think about all three. Use all three. Place your subject in a setting (foreground and background) since environment contributes so much to the story you want to tell.

This autumn day, simply magnificent and charming as Seattle can be, brought out the tourists by the scores (me included).

When I stepped out of the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, the image of the famed Space Needle showed itself. Bright orange leaves in the shrubs, patches of blue sky peaking through the clouds, and the Space Needle tower in the way we all tend to look at it, craning our necks in admiration.

Has this look been done before? Probably. But no one stood where I stood at that exact moment on that October day. This one belonged to me.

Dave Pidgeon is a seasoned writer and photographer. He lives in Lancaster, Pa., with his three sons. Contact him at dave@pidgeonseyeview.com.