Monthly Archives: February 2014

It’s Not Over ’til it’s Over.

The sun dips below the horizon behind a ridge in Lisbon

Photographing a sunset can be rewarding. After all, the colors can be stupendous, and no two are ever alike. But even though the sun sets every day, there’s no guarantee of a great sunset every day. Many atmospheric conditions have to come together; don’t even ask me what they are, because I don’t know. I do know that some conditions have a better potential for a good show than others. For instance, having clouds in the sky is almost paramount; they give the setting sun something to reflect color off of as it sinks out of sight. But even with a cloudy sky sometimes a rewarding sunset just doesn’t materialize.

Getting great sunset photos takes a little luck. It also takes a little planning, because by the time you see a great sky show, if you aren’t ready for it, it will likely be over before you get your gear and get to a good location. But probably more than either luck or planning, you have to have patience. Sometimes you can see a great sunset coming before it even gets started. But other times (probably more often) a sky that shows little or no promise can suddenly go crazy with color… and if you had already given up and packed it in you will miss it.

Such was the case with Sunday evening’s sunset. I had initially set up along a stream, looking westward. The sky was looking promising around 4:30; nice bands of clouds, sky reflecting on the water in front of me. I took a few test shots of the scene I wanted, then I turned my attention to some other water shots as I waited. Unfortunately, as time passed, more clouds rolled in and totally obscured the sun and horizon. Around 5:00 it didn’t look likely for a good sunset, at least from this location. So I packed up and headed to another location, up on a ridge about a mile away. When I got there I started walking along the road assessing the situation. From this vantage point I would have a good view of the sun as it dropped below the horizon. I had some foreground objects, in the form of snow fences, to add a little foreground interest. But what I didn’t have was a sky that looked like it held much potential to make my time there worthwhile. I took some shots anyway, trying different compositions with the fence and farm buildings, but they weren’t doing anything for me. By this time, about 5:15, the sun was just a little above the horizon, and behind some clouds. I started walking back to the car, about 200 feet away.

sunset over packard-littlefield ridge in lisbonAs I was walking the sunset gods must have felt my lament, because I looked over at the western sky one more time, but this time I saw something that gave me hope. I said to myself, “that could turn into something, maybe I’ll stick around.” And so I started walking back to my chosen spot and waited just a little longer. And that’s when it happened. Just as the sun came through the low-hanging cloud cover and reached the horizon, the sky began to light up. The clouds did what they were supposed to; reflect the warm colors of the setting sun. In the space of five minutes the sky went from boring to spectacular… and I had been ready to go home. I almost missed it.

While this was certainly not the most incredible sunset I have ever witnessed, my point is made; Never give up on a sunset just because you don’t think it will pan out. You’re there already anyway, so you might as well wait it out. And what’s more, even when you do get a good sunset,and you think it’s over, stick around. Sometimes the second act is just about to begin. Because it’s not over til it’s over.

Daniel J. Marquis Photography Home Page

 

 

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Color, Shape and Form

Parking Garage snow scene

This image exhibits the epitome of shapes and colors in a photographic image

Maybe it’s my artistic and graphics background; maybe it’s just something that has been in me since I was a child. Whatever it is, it’s not something that I ever thought about consciously as I was developing my photographic style. Indeed, I wasn’t even aware of it until several years in when I started seeing a common theme to a lot of my work. But once I realized it, there it was, staring me right in the face… I was attracted by strong color, shape and form. It seemed that most of my best and most striking images contained at least one of those qualities; and often they had all three.

Now that I realize this propensity and ability to see blocks of shape and color I seek them out even more, and I see them in some unconventional locations. This image was taken during a snowstorm last winter. I don’t often go out shooting during a storm, because it can cause problems with the gear. You have to be careful which direction you shoot. But anyway, I made my way down Lisbon Street, mostly documenting the downtown in a storm, but at the same time trying to be a bit artistic about it. When I got to Oak Street the shelter of the parking garage beckoned, offering a bit of respite from the wind and snow; so I obliged. Once inside I was free to point my camera in any direction without getting the lens wet.

ice and light reflections on the androscoggin river

This image is a good example of shapes and color in a nature image

As I walked around, looking from the inside out, a whole new world of possibilities opened up to me. I was seeing the same buildings I saw before, but now they were framed by the columns and rails of the garage. What was before just a couple of buildings with no special qualities now became the backdrop of an image that was broken up into blocks and shapes by the columns directly in front of me. And furthermore, the red and yellow of the two distant buildings now added the color that I crave in an image… and these colors themselves created more shapes. And to top it off I was blessed with horizontal line, vertical lines and diagonal lines. I had it all.

The two buildings by themselves, viewed from outside the parking garage, while interesting for their contrasting colors, do not have the same impact on their own. Not until I viewed them from inside, framed by the rails and columns did the whole picture come together for me. It now had everything that attracts my eye in a photograph. These images are all around; in nature and man made. One just has to be attentive to their surroundings, and learn to look at the details, rather than the big picture.

My Web Site: Daniel J. Marquis Photography

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