Merry Christmas!
So it’s been almost a month since my last post – I apologize profusely, as finals and a week of recuperation cut into my posting time. I’m a week into winter break and haven’t done much, but I’ve slept well, eaten well, and destressed 😀 That in itself is worth a week of “wasted” time. Anytime I can get to just unload the pent-up anxiety of 30 pages of research papers due on the same day, I’ll take it.
Of course, I haven’t been inactive photographically this month, but taking is always the easy part! I’ve been wanting to put up a series of pictures from the deck of my house, which I’ve been working on since I got home. The deck is…it gives me mixed feelings these days. Now that the view is half covered by some enormous, gentrifying houses, it’s just not the same as it was in years past – but that’s still no reason to complain about a fabulous lake view. Now that it’s winter, waking up at around 7:30 puts me about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of sunrise, and seeing as how I just have to step outside my front door…the possibilities are endless 🙂
It’s really something else to watch the light creep up over the cascades, which seem to loom over the houses on the other side of the lake (even though I know they’re actually miles away). Some days it’s more yellow, some days more orange or pink, some more bluish; mornings with dense fog and rain; afternoons with crystal-clear blue skies so you can see for miles on end. Even sunset is a nice time; though the view is to the east, there are definitely days when the colors spill over, and with the setting sun to your back, you can enjoy some pastel rose and daisy yellow clouds as the day comes to a close.
You can probably tell that most of the pictures are very similar; there’s really only one angle left to take from that cuts out the telephone wires and the roofs of the other houses. It’s unfortunate, but using my telephoto lens I can just get in-between it all for an uninterrupted image. I did one long image and actually liked it very much, I may try a few more of them before long!
Blue skies over Lake Washington
Workin in the morning. Figured I'd at least make the best of those houses coming up 🙂
Foggy day in London Town
Foggy morning wider view
Snow covers the Cascades. Taken the morning after it snowed several inches in Seattle
I thought the mountains looked great in this shot, and the winter air seemed clearer than usual
God beams shining down (sunrise)
Same morning, a few minutes later. The golden rays piercing the clouds was absolutely magical
Blue skies poke out from behind light clouds
My most recent sunrise set. The yellow and deep azure made a nice combination
Yellow and azure 2. My first attempt at 16:9 panoramic style.
As the color spreads across the sky I'm constantly shifting angles to try to capture different perspectives.
The orange is definitely ramping up - just the way I like it!
Rose tinted clouds float in a pastel yellow sky
You can see a few more pictures in an earlier post here. I’m assuming this will be a continuing series as I accumulate more images. It’s nice that I don’t have to go anywhere and the sun rises right on my doorstep. I have to constantly remind myself not to take this for granted, because where else can I wake to nature’s most grandiose harmony of light and color?
Almost forgot…!
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a warm and fun filled holiday with friends and family. Love, Brian.
Brian Chu Photography 