The good folks over at Photo Friday have given me another chance to pull out an old favorite. The theme is "Shadow" and the shadows you see in the picture above are of the warm, silky kind I like so much. It might be best viewed as large or even black.
This was taken on a winter visit to my Mother who lives in Tempe, Arizona. Tempe is one of the suburbs which make up Phoenix in the Valley of the Sun. Ahhh the SUN! For me this is the world of the glowing gold orb, the unrelenting, cruel, tenacious sun that rules over this valley so fiercely.
As is often the case with something that rules your life so completely, when the sun starts to go away, the tone of the day begins to change. This picture was taken in the last few moments of sunlight in the valley. I was walking along the downtown area specifically for the purpose of loading up a memory card as the day was waning. People coming out into the streets, lights over outdoor cafes being swtiched on, the noises of the day had started to become more prounced in the gathering gloom of darkness.
But here and there the sun was still peeking through the taller buildings to land on sweet spots such as this little bridge leading to the rather strange upside-down pyramid which is the Tempe City Building. Strolling across the bridge, the sparkle of the sidewalk hit my eye. The camera seemed to pull me down into a crouch to get into a good position for the image. Once I was almost on my knees I felt the need to tilt a bit to get as much of that fantastic shadow as possible. Then comes the decision on where to focus. Do you focus on the bridge and the show of light? Perhaps taking a clear image of the sidewalk and allowing the bridge to bokeh out is best. After taking 3 varieties of image, this is the one I decided for in the end. Sometimes it is hardest to know on the spot when you've got the image just right. It is even harder when faced with the raw photo in post-production.
In the end I got what I wanted, something that showed off that glorious golden light!
As I write this entry, the valley is experiencing temperatures climbing into the 110 range (43c). Ladies and gentlemen, this is too hot for me, I don't know about you. But the winters are fantastic! This kid has really enjoyed having the chance to watch New Years Eve fireworks in shorts and a tee shirt. I could get used to it. Too bad the place is such a hellhole each summer.
See more of my Tempe pics.
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3 comments:
great picture....evening light is so great and warm
Great picture, great story behind it.
Wow, I thought Florida could be oppressively hot!
That is a fantastic photo - I just love it!
Summers in Texas are brutal too - my daughter told me yesterday that it's been raining a bit in Dallas lately, so it's muggy on top of being hot. She spent a summer in Vegas a couple of years ago and said the dry heat spoiled her. I, for one, am glad to spend my summers in NE Ohio nowadays. Of course, I'll be singing a different tune in February when it's 3 F. The cold I can do without.
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