Dark Days

The winter solstice is upon us, the darkest days of winter. I dread this time of year; for me the darkness is worse than the cold of winter. Yet as a photographer the low sun angle offers incredible opportunities. Day after day I witness amazing displays in the skies, scenes that just do not occur in summer when the dun floats nearly directly overhead. As the solstice approached I set about to capture a photo that would not only show how it looks, but more importantly how it feels. As often happens, an idea occurred while walking our dog. Red took me by the observatory one day and I noticed the sun breaking through a layer of low scud clouds, the remains of a lake effect snowstorm. The setting of an observatory was absolutely perfect to convey the concept of watching the sky. I ran back home, grabbed the camera, and rushed back before the sky could change. I was completely snow blind shooting directly into the sun and could not even see the review screen in my digital camera. I just bracketed heavily and hoped for the best. This is the resulting image. You can see the sun, hanging low just over the dome, set amid a sea of menavcing clouds. The photo was a perfect match for my vision and a wonderful visual depiction of the mood of winter solstice.