The days are shorter and will continue to do so until Dec. 21 when the sun and earth’s movement reverses and the days start getting longer.
Today I experienced the photographer’s difficulty with shortened daytime and winter weather.
Flew the drone for photos of the idle farm equipment at the Braun farm fields. Accomplished without too much difficulty. My Final Photo.
Then I turned toward Otterbein Lake to find a good angle for the golden glow of the setting sun hitting the trees lining the lake and the tall buildings of the University peeking over the treetops, below. Made the photo above at 4:43:45 pm. It’s an OK photo. Nothing special. Nothing to write home to Mom about.
Thought I needed to be slightly higher and further away. Moved into position and made the photo below at 4:44:20 pm.
Could see the light was dying, gone at the horizon and a cloud bank following. The trees are no longer lit with the golden light of the sunset and the buildings are not as saturated with color as the first photo.
The last photo, made at 4:44:45 pm with the drone’s 2x telephoto, has less daylight than the previous photo.
There was one minute of good light from the first photo to the last. One minute.
At this point, I gave up, returned the drone to the car, landed it, loaded it in its case, and went home for a Blue Plate Special.
This wasn’t the first time today I’ve had trouble with sunlight.
I waited for the shadow from buildings on the west side of State Street to slowly move so it would line up at the base of the walls at the stores across the street. I also had to hope for two red lights to keep passing cars out of the photo. And I hoped that no one would park in the two empty places in front of the stores.
Got my wish with the parking spots. They stayed empty.
But the sun went behind the clouds. A large bank of clouds. When the clouds moved past the sun the building's shadow had moved up the walls of the stores. This is the best I could get.
Will try again another day. Hoping for a clear sky like this frame.
Here’s a different view of the idle farm equipment different from My Final Photo for today, the combine at work, and decorating in Uptown.