Impromptu meetups for the win.
The sun is down, the city is quiet, the cold is setting in, and it’s two days before Christmas.
I’ve parked my 4Runner, and I’ve loaded up my backpack with extra gloves, hand warmers, and my tripod, before walking deeper into the city to meet my comrades.
The four of us wander from block to block, testing the various sources of light available in the city. Christmas lights on trees allow for portraits, and the stadium style lights illuminate the skating rink.
After a little while we move to a more secluded corner at the top of a local parking ramp. There we set down our bags, set up our tripods, and ignite the vaguely Star Wars-like light tubes.
Spending time in a group of creatives, it’s easy to see each person’s individual personality in how they approach and shoot a scene. Dylan’s meticulous nature has him quietly working off to the side; my child-like attention span has me playing with different lenses, and different subjects; and Sam’s hunger for trying new things has him working on uniquely lit portraits with Liz.
Overall we spent probably an hour on top of the ramp before we decided to move on and wander our way to another part of the city.
No matter the season, the bridges, and the ever-moving water allow for smooth long exposure photos; nearly obligatory to photograph when you’re on a venture like ours.
Last but not least we set ourselves up on the iconic Blue Bridge for our last set of photos for the night; ending with a rock band-like group photo.
