A solstice, be it winter or summer, is one of those events that speaks to all of us. It transcends any cultural or other differences that exists between us. Solstices hold meaning for all humans regardless of place or time, they have a universality. Images are a universal language and the narrative they tell, holds a true and deep universality. Combining an event of significance with the narrative of strong images I think results in a powerful message.
See a brief update at the end of the essay posted today 12/21/12
That is why I put this short video together. I want to share the emotional experience of taking these picture with you. Some of the images are already for sale at As I found It. The sharing is not so much the pictures but the experience of being there and making them. Sharing the experience of renewal as one cycle ends and next is about to begin.
This Alpen Glow sunrise sequence was made on December 21, 1010, It represents about 40 minutes of elapsed time. The morning was cold, very cold, -30 C cold. Winter Solstice in the north, and summer in the south. You will notice that the sun is not present in any of these images. What is present is the sun’s light, Alpen Glow reflecting from the snow, clouds and light gray limestone rocks of the Rocky Mountain Front Range. The sunrise time of the winter solstice at this latitude is about 8:40 am (MST).
I could have captured the sun itself, most images of sunrise and sunsets are commonly presented that way. Here at Aa I Found It and Ideal Totem we do thing more unconventionally than conventionally. A good place for me to include the sun rising or setting is only minutes from my home. Many photographers do just that. I have captured sunrises looking east, over the prairie, from that location many times. You can see some of them at As I Found It. What this also tells you is how lucky I am to live within an hour’s drive to the Rocky Mountains and close to the edge of a major metropolitan center.
In 2011 I made a second attempt at a slightly different location. I say attempt because the cloud cover was such that no Alpen Glow resulted. Three of us will head out this 21st to another location along the front range. We will have our cameras on tripods about about 8:30 am. Who knows if we will be successful or not. The forecast is for a “few flurries”.
It looks like this is turning into a transition. I hope you all enjoy my little video and share in the delight of capturing such great images. Feel free to share it with your friends too. We all live in interesting times if for no other reason then they are our times. They are what we make of them. They are not good or bad they simply are. A soloists is a paramount of an ordered rhythm. Observe it or not, the rhythm continues just as it always has, quite independent of humanities collective ego. Like all of our narratives the story is what we men wish to make it and of it. The rhythm of nature functioning in spite of our efforts. Hopefully this injects just a little humility and sober thought into our collective life. Our narratives will continue to spin the yarns of our time here and they will be spun in the context of timelessness.
I have also posted this essay at my science Blog. Retread Resources Ltd. our commercial parent, Sui Generis our Fine Photographic Art sister site and Ideal Totem our textures and patterns complement all combine to say we trust this solstice season and the coming year will bring only good this to you are yours.
Update 12/21/12: The Tradition Lives. We did head out this morning and did manage to get a few images but they were pale in comparison to the 2010 set here is an example:
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