Spending my Friday night Taking Award Winning Photos of DC’s lights over the Potomac River
I am about to drive over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on my way to work in the pre-dawn darkness, I noticed the lights lining the Potomac River and the Nation’s Capital in the farthest reaches of sight. “One night I need to take a few photos from the bridge.” I commented to the empty passenger seat of my truck.Last Friday night I did just that. I even took a nap in preparation for the long night of staying up late. From my apartment window, I patiently waited for darkness to fall over the river and city. At the last minute, I Scrambled around gathering my camera gear for the award winning photos of Washington DC’s lights over the Potomac I was about to take. Or that was what I planned to call the pieces of art.
Good Photos are all in the Preperation
The tripod was behind the seat of the truck in the same place and condition I had left it from our trip to Cambridge a few weeks, Ok, a month ago. I opened the truck door and reached for the flashlight in the door cubby. It was not there. I walked around the truck and checked the glove box. Nothing. During the drive across the country, and back, I had no less than three flashlights within reach of the driver’s seat. I guess all those lost flashlights go to the same place as those lost single socks.
In the dark, (yea, the overhead light in the truck is so dim it might as well not be there) I rummaged around in the truck looking for my tripod. The center monopod leg and head were separated from the main three legs and covered over with my winter coat, a blanket, ice scraper and a few empty soda bottles. I yanked and pulled the two pieces out from the tangle, reassembled the parts and even stowed the tripod back into its caring case.
In the late hours of Friday night, instead of living it up at some night club dancing the night away, I put on an old sweatshirt from Alaska with my favorite dusty old ball cap. Feeling good about myself, I tossed my camera bag over my shoulder began the hike up the bridge. The night winds of the March night held the crisp cold air of the remaining winter.
Georgetown Waterfront Photograph taken by Metro DC Photography. This was what I was shooting for.
Being a Photographer is Hard Work
The walk was not a long one, but all up hill. Traffic steadily zoomed past toward some important place. It felt good to stretch my legs from the long hours behind the desk. Damn my shoe is untied again. I stopped and re-tied for the third time. For someone who can latch a canoe on the roof of my truck in a manner of minutes, you would think I could at least keep my shoes tied.
Seeing me coming, a bike rider turns and returns from where he was going. “Interesting?” I think to myself, “Maybe it really is time to toss this old sweatshirt and hat?”
I reached my destination, a rest stop on the hike / biker trail complete with two benches and those huge quarter taking binoculars for tourist to gaze at the city. The lights shined in varying levels of brightness and colors along the river bank. The taller buildings were dotted with reading lights and overhead chandeliers gleaming out the windows. The bonus was a party cruiser making its way up river. The streaming line of light from the boat will top off the award winning photograph I was about to take.
Washington DC night lights over the Potomac taken from the Wilson Bridge
“How long should the exposure be? 1 second or 5 seconds, or maybe a really long exposure of 25 or 30 seconds?” I didn’t know how to do this long exposure night shooting stuff, guess I’ll wing it. Its’ worked before.
I took the tripod out of the carrying case and expanded the legs. I slid the center pole up and reached for the tightening knob. My finger tip found an empty hole in the tripod where a knob should have been. I fumbled around for a few minutes in the dark. To be absolute sure, I carried the tripod over the little path lights set at shin height and inspected the tripod. Yep, the knob was missing. Oh well, the sand in the slide from the summer beach trip that makes it hard to slide up and down will help the situation. I smile. I should be able to just hold it in place when taking the shot.
Washington DC night lights over the Potomac Take 2
The party cruiser was making good time up river and was getting away from me. I hurried in the dark grabbing the camera and placing it on the tripod. “Wait, where is the tripod adapter for the camera. It should be on the camera. But it ain’t. I had taken the time to clean out my camera bag before walking out on the bridge and did not remember seeing one. Under the foot path dim light, I checked again. Nothing.
The tripod was missing a screw; the base plate connecting the camera to the tripod was missing. I own no less than three of these things. But not willing to give up on taking this award winning photograph, I steadied the camera on the handrail, scrolled the settings, took a deep breath, and let the shutter expose for varies time lengths.
Beneath my feet I felt the bridge bounce up and down from the traffic. I had not thought of that. I should have, I’ve worked on bridges before and knew all about the movement of bridges. I took a few shots still hoping for the best. The cold wind gusts and my favorite hat flew toward the water below.
Washington DC night lights over the Potomac, Bouncing on the Wilson Bridge
Remembering the new bottle of bourbon sitting on top of my fridge, I packed up my camera and tripod, the parts I do have, and head back to my apartment. I did not even download the photographs that night. I kicked off my shoes, which took a few trying minutes, as the tight knots had become an unwilling puzzle. Ending the night, I laid back on the couch sipping my bourbon listening to old Hank Williams sing the blues.
