February 02 2011 - Sunrise [*yawn*]

     I haven't posted pictures for the last couple of days.  That's because none were taken.  I have had a bad couple of days and no inspiration or motivation for photography.
   I am a night-owl, but they say that if you're going to be a good landscape photographer, there are really only two times of day to shoot:  dawn or dusk.  Being a night-owl, I don't get many dawn photos.  I decided that since we have had a nice little respite from the rain, I should try to capture some nice morning light for a change.  However, I really wanted that nice glow that you get just prior to the sun popping up over the horizon.  I was a bit late for that and got the sunrise.
   I have a confession to make:  I don't like sunset or sunrise photos.  I think they're cheesy, with rare exceptions.  This has not stopped me from taking lots of sunset shots, and I will likely take more in the future, much like I don't think I could ever swear off potato chips for the rest of my life. Jejune, but I eat them.
   I was very unhappy with the pics I snapped this morning.  So, I started to wonder:  should I post crap pictures? (Well, maybe all my photos are crap, but I mean relative to what I, in my humble opinion, think isn't too bad).  Apparently I have decided that, yes, I will.   This is a 365 day project.  No one can have 365 good days (or photographs) in a row.  This is a learning experience; not a gallery of excellence (clearly). One thing I learned about myself is that, as much as I admire the light many able landscape photographers manage to capture, this will likely never be my niche.
   I was not endowed by nature with a sunny disposition, and apparently my photos likely never will be either.  As much as I have pined for the sun as a counterpoint to my inclement moods of late, I am someone who knows the shadows.  You should create what you know.

park bench in the drizzle
taken 4 days ago with my phone.

   I enjoyed being out this morning and discovering a world with which I'm not terribly familiar.  There were people who made the climb or drive up to the observatory parking lot in Queen Elizabeth Park where today's photo was taken, just to watch the sun rise... huh!  I never thought of doing that before heading to work.  I'm more of a sundown person.  And all those people doing tai chi in the frosty morning air... Now maybe sometime I will be brave enough to capture them, but I was too cold and disgruntled and not wanting to be intrusive.  I felt like ditching my camera and just going for a walk.  It was lovely and still.  I do like the morning when I make the effort to greet it.  But I think, by nature, I am better at capturing park benches in the drizzle at night (even if it's on my cell phone)... Damn!  Well, I am learning about myself.  I think I should look more closely at Brassai and sod Ansel Adams....