by I’ve lived in the D.C. area since 1997. During that time, I’ve seen plenty of construction occurring throughout the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to you out-of-towners). When I first traveled across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, this area was undeveloped with trees along the bank of the Potomac.
Shortly afterward, the National Harbor construction began. Over time, I watched them drudge out the mud and sediment and fashion this natural habitat to its current commercial state. Whenever I drove across the bridge, I wondered how I could capture the new landscape. However, I didn’t know where. There’s a walkway for pedestrians and cyclists, but it’s on the inside of the bridge and cars would obstruct the view. As I was riding my bike across the bridge one day, I took a path and it brought me to a clearing where I had a beautiful view of the Harbor. I finally found my spot! Now, I just needed to come back at the right time to capture the image.
I read this photography article several years ago about the importance of timing. I learned about photographing during twilight. It forever changed my perspective about natural lighting. It helped me to understand and capture images during a fleeting moment in time. I liked the way I framed the image, but it doesn’t have much color with the dull gray sky.
I came early to prepare and practice and I ended with the following image.
Along with this slightly wider angle version of the image as well.
Once the magic moment passes, the image looks like this.
The dark sky strips the color out of the image. The twilight period with the blue sky lasts approximately 15 minutes. It can be more or less depending on the time of year and weather conditions. Therefore, it’s important to prepare early to be ready for the opportunity because one doesn’t know how long it’ll last. A lesson for life within that story. That’s why I keep shooting.
-Roger
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