Monday, January 31, 2011

Back in the saddle in Seattle

Arrived at Seatac airport at 8:45 this morning.  Overcast and 38 degrees.  While I was gone someone turned down the thermostat.  Luckily, the sun did make a watery, wavering appearance later in the day and it warmed up to a balmy 42 degrees.  A far cry from the bliss in the sun we all experienced over the long weekend in Tucson.

As I was driving from Tucson to Phoenix last night, I had a huge epiphany about the photography thing.  Not only had I enjoyed the sun for its warmth, but I had truly revelled in the ability to capture it in my photographs.  I love playing with light and shadow and it will be months until the sunlight is direct enough here in the Northwest to throw a shadow with as strong of a contrast as Tucson this past weekend.  I consoled myself with the thought of turning to color and pattern and the activity that comes with spring for my future subjects. 

I haven't taken a picture in a couple of days now and will struggle to find the time before the weekend as I pitch myself headlong into work as I did today.   I have posted a picture from our trip downtown Tucson on Saturday afternoon.  It's an interesting picture and as I sit looking at it now, I realize how I could have made it better by not centering the first little doorway in my lens.  If I had stood a bit to the left, I would have a more asymmetrical picture and we would have been able to see further inside the second little door in the distance.  That's what happens when you don't have/take the time to look past the obvious shot.   It also would have removed the center iron pole that detracts from seeing the interior court as a tranquil sunny spot on a warm Saturday afternoon.  A pure moment gone uncaptured, but a lesson learned.

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2 comments:

  1. kate mckinnonFebruary 2, 2011 at 3:04 AM

    Can you believe that it got so cold here in Tucson after you left? Man!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andrew ThorntonFebruary 19, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    The sun is a powerful source of inspiration. It has fueled the creative fire for millennia. But there is power in the diffused light, lingering in the mists and the cool shades of grey. Some people believe that mist cloaks hidden doorways and paths to other worlds. Others that it is a veil.

    You have a unique opportunity to capture these in between places.

    And I think the picture is great. It says something, even if it's not what you wanted it to say. The bars, an oppressive grid, say KEEP OUT. They say, stand back. They say, you are on the outside looking in. The warm interior is inviting and dazzling with lacy shadows and bright light.

    I think the image illustrates and mirrors your words perfectly.

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