sleepless in seattle

I have never been able to just lie in bed after I waking up - I keep thinking about all the things I could be doing - so when I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 5:30 am on Friday, my restless feet took me to Kerry Park to catch the sunrise. With daylights savings, the sun rises at about 7:10 these days (and sets at 4:40...), so when I got there at 6, it was still pitch black. I set up my camera on a conveniently located cable box, and started clicking away. While the day before had dawned with  beautiful colors, unfortunately the one I witnessed was fairly overcast.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the tranquility of the city before sunrise. There is also something very soothing about watching the night transition into day, with the sunlight gradually stealing over the horizon. The whole city really takes on a new look in the span of just an hour. Winter sunrises are supposedly quite beautiful, so I may be making a return trip :)

just a thought

Just a picture & a quote for today.

kerry park, we meet again

I've gotten into the habit of going to Kerry Park when I have nothing else to do in the early evening. It seems a bit sad not to spend the last hour or so of sunlight outside, especially when I know the dark winter months will be here soon. Kerry Park is really just a small sliver of sidewalk, but the view it affords of the Seattle skyline and Puget Sound is incredibly scenic.

Apparently it's quite a popular spot for photographers - by the time the sun set and the city was lit up, I spotted 2 or 3 people there with hardcore tripods. I have a small Gorillapod, but without a shutter release cable, I'm finding it difficult to take good long exposure shots. Anyone have any tips/recommendations on taking night shots?

Re-

I went to Kerry Park after work today on a whim - I felt like wandering around and clearing my head for a bit, and photography always helps me refocus. Since the park is at the top of a huge hill - the kind of hill where you can hear your car engine struggling as you drive up - it affords a pretty spectacular view of the city. The weather was sub-optimal since it had been raining all day (story of my life in Seattle), but the area around the viewpoint is quite scenic, so it was perfect for aimless wandering with camera in hand.

I'm excited for the weekend - the weather forecast says sunny & warm on Saturday, so that's sounds promising. But more than anything else, I think I need some time to recharge and reflect. Tonight's wanderings and a pizza & wine & gossip session with the girls was relaxing, but there's still a lot of churning going on in my head.