Do Extraordinary Things
I woke up extra early this morning, and used the opportunity to head down to the walkway between Hoboken and Jersey City, a location I’ve been wanting to photograph for a while. The sunrise made the heavy cloud cover glow in pastel shades of pink and blue, while a dense fog shrouded the top half of the Freedom Tower.
Welcome, Spring.
As soon as I stepped outside this morning, I could see a faint pink glow beginning to emerge. I quickly got into position and waited patiently for a few minutes until the glow became more intense, and then I started shooting. These colors were at their greatest intensity for less than 90 seconds, during which time I took my only five photos of the morning. Moments later it faded away and was gone completely.
Last sunrise of winter. Nature made it a good one.
This project has known only the winter so far, so it will be interesting to see what the new season has in store.
When these little guys start showing up, you know spring is just about here.
This photo almost didn’t happen. When I got outside, I was excited to see a passing cruise ship. Being the only time since January 2nd that I encountered a cruise ship in the morning, I raced down to the end of the pier and hurriedly took a series of photos just in the nick of time as it gracefully passed by. But, since I had been in such a rush to get set up and take the photos, none of the photos came out that great. They looked rushed, they were loaded with technical flaws, and they failed to capture the essence of the scene. It was obvious I had tried to force it.
Luckily, this family of geese had been swimming around. A few of the geese were included in some of the cruise ship photos, but as I mentioned those photos were unsuccessful. So, I decided to try to feature the geese in the foreground of the picture. I followed them around the shoreline for a few minutes and eventually settled into a spot where I just watched them and waited. Eventually, they started to make their way up the ramp to get out of the water. I knew this would be my chance. I slowly approached the ramp and captured a few photos as the geese seemed a bit confused and alarmed by my presence. After a few moments, I slowly backed away, knowing that if I stayed much longer I would be pressing my luck.
The moral of the story for me today is that sometimes you just have to sit back and let things unfold. If you try to force a situation, it might not turn out the way you had intended. And often the more natural outcome is the most favorable anyway.
The photograph you see here was my final shot before returning home, which, if you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know is a recurring theme for me.
On certain overcast mornings, there is a brief period of glowing, atmospheric blue. This only happens sometimes, and I don’t know what causes it, but it’s a rare treat. You have to catch it at just the right time, because the perfect level of brightness only lasts for a couple of minutes before it starts to get too bright. The clouds really made the scene this morning, these great ridges in the sky, almost resembling the undulating waves below.