I must have left a dome light on overnight and now the car battery is dead. A few times this winter when the temperature dropped and block heater wasn't plugged in the battery would struggle to start the car. No problem though, I'd hook up the charger, plug in the block heater, wait a bit and that would do the trick. But now it seems the battery seems deader than dead. I can't use the key fob to unlock to doors and the key doesn't work in the handle lock. I'm guessing the door lock is electronic it just doesn't turn or maybe it's broken somehow. I don't know, I never use the key in the door. Anyway, without being able to unlock the door I can't pop the hood because the little lever is inside the car. If I can't pop the hood I can't charge the battery. I might have to call the AMA to see if they can slim jim the door.
With my car out of commission I was able to borrow Jen's van and was again headed towards downtown. Like the past few days, there were clouds above and towards the east, a heavy cloud bank on the western horizon and a gap in between. The gap was wider than yesterday and I was hopeful that the setting sun might catch the clouds at some point. With the sun directly out I ended up on 10th ave and about 5th street SW. The shot below is just after I'd parked the car.
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| hard light |
The low light was creating areas of shadow and contrast, there wasn't much time before the light would fade so I started walking up the street looking for compositions.
The message that everyone is getting is to social distance themselves from everyone else. Many businesses and companies have implemented work from home policies so downtown is really quite empty. However, there is a population that really don't have anywhere to go and are likely struggling with a lot of different issues. As I walked around I found that I was feeling out of place, slightly unsafe and almost intrusive. After circling the block I decided that I'd move on to another location.
I drove along 10th and headed north on 14th ave and turned off at SAIT. I'd remembered seeing a view from a parking lot that I wanted to check out. The parking lot had a few cars in it but it wasn't operating as the entry/exit bars were up so I drove in.
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| just the tips |
The view was good, but the light wasn't great. The clouds looked interesting so I snapped a couple photos out the window and kept looking over to see if any colour was developing. I was hopeful that it might still happen. The clouds looked like they might be better over on McHugh bluffs closer to Prince's island so I drove over there. On the way I spotted an interesting rainbow tunnel thing that I might explore in the future. I'm making note if it here to help remind me that I saw it, they say if you write something down you'll tend to remember it.
On the bluff I was surprised at the number of folks that were there hanging out, some on the path, many sitting in their cars. It kind of reminded me of news footage that was used to suggest what we should NOT be doing while we get through this pandemic. I was already feeling uneasy after the downtown location and this just added to my discomfort. I decided I'd walk along the path and make sure to hold my breath, keep back of anyone else on the path and not touch anything. The wind had picked up and it was cold, there was a bite to it. I think temperature is supposed to be heading downwards again for a few days and this must be the beginning of it.
I was watching the clouds above the downtown core there was a tall pillar like structure that was moving towards the north east. Not much was happening with the light so I kept walking and tracked the cloud to see if if I could position it in an interesting composition. I didn't find anything that I liked before it was off and I found myself at the east end of the path close to Center street. In front of me was a composition that I took a sudden liking to and one that I'm sure I'll try shooting again with different conditions.
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| what view! |
Normally I'm photographing from the other side of Center street and I've been there a huge number of times so maybe there's a similar difference to this angle that I found intriguing, a new way of looking at something I've seen before. Maybe it's the sloping lines in the foreground that complement the angle of the bridge. Something caught my eye here but it sure wasn't the light. I'll have to remember this spot too ;)
Heading back towards the car I was still pursuing the idea of capturing the clouds above the skyline but had given up on a super colourful sunset. These wispy clouds had appeared with hints of light on them.
Earlier this week I'd shot a sunset with strong light and lots very dark contrast and I felt like I had worked hard to process the images because of the contrast. Since then I'd seen a sunset photo on my instagram feed that was the complete opposite of my photo. It was lighter, less contrast and not heavily processed to enhance muted colours. I rememberd looking at the photo and mentally comparing it to my shot and somehow it resonated with me.
I was reminded of that here and decided that it'd be ok if the sky wasn't burning with colour and the contrast was lower. It'd be ok, I could still make a photo. I'm pretty sure that I would have passed on this shot if I hadn't had that experience.
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| clouds |
I'm not sure why it bothers me especially when the buildings aren't even the focal point of the photo. I think it's time for me to embrace new ideas and challenge my thoughts.
Here's a link to view the photos larger.
Thanks for looking.
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