I’m a bit of a “light evangelist” when it comes to photography (I know I’ve talked about it many times on this blog)… and even still, I’m always amazed at how much places change visually as the day progresses. I’m also always interested in how my opinions of certain images change over time. What I mean by that is there are always images that I get excited about, and then after I’ve stared at them for a while I’m not as excited… and others that I just sort of like, but then come back to months later and love them! Enter this picture.
I mentioned in my first post of the Prague series that myself and some friends had woke up super early to photograph the old part of town. I absolutely love when the sky is still a dark navy and all the lights of a city are still on, which is what I had my mind set on this particular morning. As the sky lightens, you generally get that dark navy I was talking about, followed by some really pretty purple hues and when the sun comes over the horizon the magic really happens with lots of beautiful side lighting possibilities and a warmth that makes pictures really pop. Between the purples and the warmth though, there is period where everything just sort of goes flat and is generally boring. During the gap, I will snap a few pictures to check exposure and focus, but usually toss those in the trash when I get back. This was one of those pictures! When I first saw it, I liked it okay because of the setting, but thought I liked the warmer ones with the newly risen sun. Now though, when I flip through my images, this is the one that jumps out at me. I guess that’s a good argument for keeping pictures you’re on the fence about?
–Dan Thompson