Monday morning. Martin Luther King Day. So some will sleep in late. Not me. Have this habit of rising early and watching the sun crest the eastern horizon, even on a cold January morning. I don’t seem to tire of that. Predawn offered red and pink in a small area along the horizon. The wind was blowing as I watched the clouds being continually reshaped by that wind.
I read yesterday where Henry David Thoreau was known to stand for long periods of time while observing a female mallard as she prepared her newly hatched ducklings for their first adventure on the water. At other times he would stand all afternoon watching a frog along the banks of a pond. He spent time in the field studying nature rather than reading or hearing about it. Not something our culture does much anymore. We’re too impatient. Because I stayed this morning I was able to witness the sun rising above the clouds sitting along the eastern horizon. I’m learning patience.
2 Comments
Tom Dills
There have been many times where I’ve stood in front of a scene for a long while, waiting for a certain light. Occasionally someone will come up and ask me what I’m looking at, assuming it’s some kind of wildlife. When I answer that “I’m waiting for a cloud” I usually get a funny look and that’s the end of the conversation. Fine with me.
I’m currently reading a retrospective of the late Galen Rowell, and one of the contributors compares Rowell’s style – an accomplished mountaineer and climber as well as photographer- with that of Ansel Adams, who seldom photographed out of sight of his car. The magic of Rowell’s photographs often came from his ability to get a shot from a unique vantage point or angle, while Adams’ magic came from his ability to translate a scene into a negative which he then developed into a print. Different approaches but stunning – albeit different – results.
Yes, learning patience is an important part of living the life we are trying to live. And it is rewarded often enough to keep us coming back.
Monte Stevens
Yes, the reward, both the experience and the image, are why I keep coming back. I did not know that about the differences between Adams and Rowell. Rowell’s book and images have helped me immensely.
Had to laugh because unless you’re a photographer, waiting for a cloud is nonsense. 😁