After living here over six years (goodness, how time flies) this is the
first winter/spring time I can remember having the opportunity to enjoy
sunrises and sunsets. That probably doesn't sound like a big deal
because, after all, the sun has been rising and setting for some time
now. However, when you don't see it for large blocks of time you tend
to feel like it's shining on every part of the U.S.
except for this cloudy corner. I could be exaggerating of course. Maybe
it's just that this is the first year I've had camera in hand to
actually witness this time of the day. Now, taking a picture of a
sunrise or sunset may sound easy, but believe me it takes some planning.
For one thing there are trees here, lots and lots of them. And, as
trees tend to do, they block almost everything from sight and allow only
glimpses of what's behind that leafy (or pine needley) curtain, as evidenced by the photo above.
The first item on the agenda of
photographing a sun event is finding a place that is above the trees and
is
also not blocked by an obnoxious building. The I-5 bridge that crosses
the Columbia River and puts you into Vancouver, Washington is a perfect place
if you want to avoid obstacles, not to mention the added bonus of the
reflections in the water to add to the interest. The picture with the
twin contrails was taken on a January morning when I was headed to in the Vancouver office of my firm. The picture above it was
taken along a sidewalk that runs above the river.
The Portland airport is off in the distance. That turned out to be a
bonus because several Southwest planes came in to land as I watched. Planes weren't the only thing in the air that day. Canadian geese also chose that moment to show off their acrobatics over the still waters.
However, driving to
Vancouver is not an option before going to work so with a little
observation and thought I located three places within a five to ten
minute drive from my house that give some decent views of both Mt. Hood
and the sun for the morning and the sun's solo performance at night.The
picture on the right was taken on an early March morning. I was taking the
day off from work and could have slept in, but no, the sun had to wake
me up. The nerve! The pink sunrise was on the way to work, and is unusual in that I've not seen the sky that color since then.
Sunsets are another issue. The best place to get a really clear shot
would, again, be Vancouver but evening traffic is a hindrance and
there's nothing more frustrating than sitting in your car as the sun
sets. I have decided the sun moves a lot faster as it gets close to
setting, probably something to do with gravitational pull (scientist
that I am). The picture to the left and the one below it were taken from an area known as
Council Crest in Southwest Portland. It was a cold, windy day but sunny
so everyone was out trying to soak up some Vitamin D. These last two pictures were captured spur of the moment after I looked out the window and saw that even with all the clouds (or maybe because of them) the sunset was going to be very colorful even if you didn't actually see the sun. I particularly liked the bird sitting in the tree, almost like he was the designated watchbird who was to make sure the sun really did set before reporting back to the flock. Now that sunrises and sunsets are seen more rarely I appreciate them more and have learned to be grateful for the things I was taking granted before they become only summertime memories.
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