#354: The Art of Patience
There was a shot that I wanted.
I’d driven down NW 8th Avenue about two months ago and noticed how the light from the sunset hit the pillars of an overpass and knew I had to use the spot for a 365.
There were a few problems, though. First, I wanted the other side of the bridge illuminated. That meant an early morning shoot, as opposed to a sunset shot. And that meant getting up early one day. Gah.
Second, there is no legitimate parking in the area. I don’t mind walking, but I did the math, and the spot is 28 blocks away from where I live. That’s quite a ways to carry my camera gear + tripod. And since I was fairly certain I wanted to be wearing a coat, that’s a LONG way to wear a coat in the tropical Florida heat. There was a business lot nearby, but they tow. I figured, however, I’d be safe on a weekend day.
Third, I knew I wanted it to be black and white. Since tonality is so important to those shots, I knew an overcast day would work better than a clear one. So I’d have to check the weather the night before and make sure it would be cloudy before I woke up that early and set out.
Finally, finally, after two months, it all came together this morning. I set out, rather terrified to take a photo on such a busy road because I knew people would be looking at me (ironic, I know, since I post a self-portrait every day, but I don’t like being the center of attention). I parked in the business lot, crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t be towed, then set up the shot I thought I wanted.
Um, no. It wasn’t working. The best perspective I could find was from the road, and NW 8th is way too busy to set up a tripod in the middle of the street and hope that no one drove by while I ran to position. I played with a few setups, sweating all the while under that trench coat, and nearly gave up. I packed up my equipment twice and set out to my car, but I was stopped each time by a new way the pillars looked to me as I walked back.
And then, all that patience paid off. Two months’ wait for the right light, and thirty minutes of trying different things resulted in this:
I think it was worth the wait.