Dreamy sky over Paris.
In Paris and up early to capture the pre-dawn sky and sunrise over the Seine. Though, to no avail, as I open the door fog lies beyond the doorstep. Nonetheless out I go. One cannot make or change the weather. Photographs this morning, probably not, so enjoy the outing; patience, persistence, keep the Faith, something good always happens.
The cool damp morning air feels good to be in and to breathe in. It is very quiet, the kind of silence you get on an early foggy morning or in an empty church; no one is visible on the street. Walking quickly across the Pont de Bir-Hakeim a very cool wind moves down the Seine.
It felt cold walking across that bridge. There was no one in sight except a fellow diehard photographer at the far end of the bridge toward Passy. He was a Frenchman, will equipped with Canon gear as was mine. We chatted for a while, concerning our gear, photographing in Paris, the beauty of Paris itself, the weather, and, although we did not expect it, our hope for some good light. In a short while and with a sliver of daylight one could begin to discern the upper half of the Eiffel Tower still shrouded in fog, and no visible sky from the horizon upward. There would be no images of a sunrise today from where we stood, it wouldn’t burn off quickly enough, and the available light was lame. “Un autre jour” said and shrugged as we parted.
I enjoyed that morning and our chat and reflected upon it as I sat in a café to get warm over some morning coffee. The weather had not improved, though, nonetheless, my thoughts wandered to perhaps a good sunset later on.
Later, the ever changing Parisian weather brought blue skies and wonderful light. I passed the day taking in Paris and capturing images and found myself in another café awaiting sunset. I decided to return to a good location along the Seine where I had been many times before rather than try a new one and I set-up above the quai near Pont Alexandre III.
In the sky were thin white clouds against a blue sky. As the sun neared the horizon a beautiful shade of yellow spread away from the sun into the blue sky. Once below the horizon the yellow color deepened a bit and rose midway into the sky. It was a sight to behold and capture. Birds darted in and out of the scene, one came in from afar head-on and was captured in the image. What a break. In a few minutes, the warm yellow sky was gone.
What a difference a few minutes can make and what a blessing to have experienced that sunset and captured this image. Photography is like that. Dismal morning weather contrasted with a much better end of the day. Nevertheless, it was all enjoyable, which is most important. One never knows. It reminds me to be aware, keep the Faith, patiently wait, keep going out take in and enjoy where I am, and, like the bird, swoon, but glide and seek level flight. The images will come.
Camera Info: Canon 5-D Mark II, Canon Lens, 70-200mm USM 2.8, f13, 1/160, ISO 100, no filter.