I spent this afternoon on a favourite stretch of coastline at high tide. It has been a fairly dank day and there were not many people around. I enjoy these conditions so long as I can stay relatively warm and dry. It is quite nice to spend time watching the rain (or drizzle as it was today) and the tide coming in.
Occasionally, through the gloom a ray of sunlight would pierce the clouds and the surface of the sea would glow for a few seconds. Then the light would fade as more clouds rolled in. By the time I decided to leave I had taken quite a few photographs. The conditions were constantly changing as was the scene before me. Normally I only take a small number of photographs but today I was quite happy to let loose.
Over the last week or so I have noticed the light hanging on the evenings a little longer. Of course we are now more than a month down the road from the Winter solstice and the days are slowly stretching. One of the things I love most about being a photographer is being outdoors. I believe I have become more tuned in to the seasons and gradual changes in temperature and light as we move between different times of the year. I love winter with its moody conditions but then I can find a reason to love any time of year, provided I have a camera in my hand.
I have been reading the news about the freezing conditions some parts of the United States have been experiencing over the last few weeks. Really cold weather appeals to me on some level. I often think that I would like to experience it for a few days just to see how cold it actually feels. Although parts of the US have been cold there is really no comparison to the town of Oymyakon in Siberia where the public thermometer (installed as a tourist attraction) reached -62C before giving up the ghost! I have pictures of people with their eyelashes frozen and apparently your breath can look as thick as cigar smoke. I often wonder why people continue to chose to live in a place like that.
In Moscow this December only 6 minutes of sunshine were recorded making it the darkest December on record. This morning I seen photographs of the streets of Paris under water as the Seine has burst its banks. At the other extreme, parts of southern Australia are experiencing temperatures well into the 40s with a week of those conditions to follow and health warnings being issued. I'm not a huge fan of extremely warm conditions as it can be impossible to escape.
So I will take our dank January days. At the same time I am looking forward to the Spring and the gentle warming of the air temperature that we will start to experience. I like the feeling of anticipation that you experience when you know that positive change is coming. Before you know it we will be through the Spring Equinox and Summer will be upon us.
Peace and light - Darren
