I’ll be ready … next time
Orange will have to do … for now
The other day when I was on the way to meet Craig, my guitar teacher, I crossed one of the bridges over Ashely River. The name of the road is Sam Rittenberg. I’d crossed this bridge a number of times, usually as a passenger riding along with a fellow coworker on the way to lunch.
Of course, going at lunch time, the sun is high in the sky and I had no way to know where the sun set. It has a nice view, but as I said, I’d only seen it around noon. Also, as I wasn’t driving my own car, which has a compass, I never paid any attention as to the direction in which the road heads. I’m usually on the lookout for photographic opportunities and am generally aware of east and west so as to be able to capture a different sunrise or sunset.
And, so it was that I left work about 5:15 on Monday. Sunset was at 5:17, so it was almost twilight when I left. Heading nearly due west towards our parking lot, I noticed the beginnings of some promising red coloring in the sky. I thought that it would be nice to get a photo, but I didn’t know where to go and as it was beginning already, I had no time to find such a place. I got into my car and headed towards the small guitar center where I was to meet Craig.
As you can probably guess, my drive took me right over the Ashley River on Sam Rittenberg road, which, I found, runs basically North-South. When I crested the bridge, there it was all laid out before me on a platter. Everything was fairly glowing blood red. The sky. The water. The land! Wow! It was seriously difficult to keep my eyes on the road. Crap! No where to pull over and take a shot. Speed limit 60 Miles Per Hour (96 KPH). Crap! Crap!
I was in the far left lane of 3 lanes. At the other end of the bridge I spotted a small turnout that I had never noticed. It would have been a perfect place to get a shot; however, at this time of day, traffic was dense, but moving fast. There was no way to cross. After chasing sunsets for a while you know about how much time you have left. This was probably measured in seconds, certainly less than 2 minutes. This was a divided highway, too. No way to make U-turn! As I said before: Crap! I would have had to make two U-turns, a few miles apart, get back, park, get my gear out and then get a shot. Wasn’t going to happen.
Well, I gave up and just went and got me something to eat. Yesterday, I went back to do a reconnoiter and have a look when not so rushed and unprepared. Of course, the sunset was not so spectacular this time. No reds to be had; however, the next time, I’ll be ready!
When I got to work the next day, Dennis, my coworker, asked me if I saw that fantastic sunset. Crap! 
Those of us who commute find this time of the year difficult, as did you. We are on often busy roads at exactly the time when it would be good to be near a tripod and camera, waiting for the sun. I’ve been exactly in that situation a number of times in the last month, and it is painful, to say the least!
Have a great holiday, Paul!
[Reply]
Paul Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Good point, Chris. This time of year, the sun is setting right when we leave work.
[Reply]
Photographer like a fisherman: “the one that got away”…
Happens all the time to me too.
–Eric
[Reply]
Ah, crap! I’ve said that a few times and not just for sunsets. I also feel I’m not the best driver when I have a camera near me or an object of interest to photograph. Just a warning!
[Reply]
I love Italian highways. a bay every 500 meters. Not on bridges though
[Reply]
Italians do as they want anyway, but I guess the bays are good for us from the northern parts of Europe.
[Reply]
But it works. At one time I was in Viterbo, a few miles north of Rome. At rush hour I drove my car through a crossing of five streets. The semaphor had failed, and in any Austrian city this would have been enough to completely jam traffic for hours.
Not so in Italy. I swear, it was totally chaotic, but I had to stop not a single time. I slowly drove through all those other cars, all driving in different directions, all taking care, none having to stop. It was surreal. It might have taken me five minutes to get through. Impossible in any country where people insist on playing by the rules
[Reply]