Tracks

This week we are back to shooting with the Canon.  I actually made it out of the house early one morning last week and headed for one of my favorite spots, Tempe Town Lake.  Of course there is some bias as it is close to work so I can either stop by on my way in or way home.  It does offer a variety of subjects to shoot...bridges, water, trains, light rails, people, boats, birds, you get the idea.

A few weeks back I posted some shots taken at dusk of the Mill Avenue Bridge.  I was quite pleased with those so I figured why not come back during the morning and see what could be captured.  My goal was to be here before sunrise but that didn't pan out.  I blame my alarm for not being loud enough.

With the sun up I knew I didn't have long with the golden light.  I snapped several of the train bridge from a low vantage point hoping the blue sky would provide nice contrast.  Those weren't bad but nothing to get excited about.  With no one around I decided to climb up on the train track and see what kind of perspective that would yield.  Using the "No Tres.." sign to pull myself up I made my way down the tracks.  I snapped a few brackets at various angles tilting the camera each time. Again those were ok, nothing great.

Finally, I noticed how smooth the track was and how I could see the bridge reflection on it.  Hmm.  I placed the camera right on the track and set the aperture wide open for a shallow depth of field.  Happy with that shot I made my back down to the truck. 

 

I will have to say this is probably #2 on my list of shots where I was a little nervous.  The first one being the fog shot in http://chrisfrailey.blogspot.com/2010/08/you-just-never-know.html.  The light rail track is near this one so every time the light rail approached I kept looking over my shoulder.  I didn't want to be that photographer you hear about on the news who got hit while standing in the middle of the track.

Until next time...

Sunsets & Bridges

This past weekend didn't leave a lot of time for making pics.  Sigh.  I really need to win a lottery so I can focus more on photography and less on the day job.

I did manage to slip down to Tempe Town Lake on Saturday evening for a few brackets.  It is sort of a default location to shoot if you are pressed for time.  There is always something new to shoot there or a different angle.  I happened to make it down there around sunset hoping for a fire lit sky.  I didn't quite get what I wanted but what I did get wasn't too bad. 

Granted sunsets are very cliche in the photography world, but I never get tired of the ones we have here in the valley of the sun.  Not sure what it is about them, but they are spectacular.

After the sun had vanished I turned my camera towards the Mill Avenue Bridge.  There are actually two bridges to accommodate inbound and outbound traffic to/from Tempe.  I've always loved the way they are lit at night with the string of lights running down the sides.  The reflections on Tempe Town Lake never fail to delight. 

 

 With night shots I think one thing people overlook is getting the shot before dark.  In general you want shots like this to be taken at dusk so the contrast of the blue sky adds to the image.  A pitch black sky would of added no value to this shot.  Something to consider the next time you set up for that night time capture.  

My last shots of the night were up on top of the bridge.  I staked out a spot on the sidewalk and set up for long exposure shots of the traffic.  Again I didn't quite get what I wanted, mainly due to the lack of traffic.  Some things are beyond your control. :)  I do plan to go back and get a better shot.  Just need to figure out when the high traffic times are for the inbound bridge.

These images along with the rest can be seen in full resolution at: 

My website

-or-

My Flickr site

Until next time...