704 Studio: Love Minus Zero/No Limit

"One cannot present oneself as somebody who comes to propose an advantageous deal or who has a plan which will bring great profit; on the contrary, it is clear that it will end in a deficit. And yet one feels a power surging within - one has work to do and it must be done."
Vincent van Gogh, letter 248

Ran 13 miles on ice/snow/slush with a fog isolating the landscape, a soft rain adding contrast, and a wind reminding me that winter is here.

I enjoyed the run, but I was looking forward to getting home so that I could get the digital camera and tripod and wander around the neighborhood.

At runs end I ate some nuts and fruit and changed into my Yak Trax. I then hit the streets, walking to the railyard as the pearl gray light began to fade. Every 20 or 30 yards I stopped to make a photograph. I was seeing better than I have in a long time. Everything was singing the song of winter, and I listened with my eyes.

When the last shards of sunlight were swallowed into the earth, the electric lamps lit a golden scene of desolate alleys and lonely streets.

Night Alley Study

I continued to photograph, setting the exposure at the maximum of 15 seconds. I got the idea to step into the picture after releasing the shutter, thus becoming a ghost-like, transparent figure in the scene. I had never done this before, and was having fun intruding on these quiet landscapes.