Paul D. Natkin: sky

Showing posts with label sky. Show all posts

Thursday, December 30, 2010

It's almost the last day of the year, but I'm still thinking of July, August, September--those months. It was a clear, cold day today, with no snow. The ground was frozen this morning. It gets dark early, but soon it will be January, the month when some of the most amazing sunrises take place.

Lovers with Painted Sky, 2010

Sunday, August 15, 2010

This photo is mostly black, so you'll have to exert a certain amount of effort to make sense of it. If you go to the place where it was taken, you'll increase your chances of understanding what you see depicted here.

Looking through the Fence, July 24, 2010

Sunday, January 24, 2010

It was clear this morning--well, I mean dry--but I had no time to go to the Viewpoint. Then the rain began, and I wasn't in the mood to take photos in the rain. Without the rain, I'd be someone else; as oppressive as it sometimes is, it makes me who I am. But I'm still thinking of the sky three days ago.

View of the Cascades, Jan. 21, 2010

Saturday, January 2, 2010

It was dusk when I arrived at the Viewpoint. Around the Bay and beyond, almost everything was blue, of one shade or another.

Dusk at the Viewpoint, Jan. 2, 2010

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

When I arrived at the Viewpoint this evening, there was an impressive almost-full moon. the sky was still fairly blue, and the moon, not officially full till tomorrow, was casting a strong reflection on the lake. Tomorrow I'll go back to see the blue moon.

Nearly Full Moon, Dec. 30, 2009

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

The Reflection

The moon, about three quarters full, was making a wonderful reflection on the lake when I stopped by the Viewpoint this evening. I was struck by the great variety of shades of deep, dull blue in the sky. If you look at the night sky in isolation, you think it's black, but when you compare it to the silhouette of a mass of trees, you immediately see the trees as black and the sky as deep blue. The moon's reflection was very broad.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

As the Sun Drops Lower

Union Bay, Early Evening (I), Sept. 23, 2009

Union Bay, Early Evening (II), Sept. 23, 2009

Union Bay and Hunter's Point, Early Evening, Sept. 23, 2009

As the sun drops lower, I think of the music of Chopin. A sailboat with a white sail slowly makes its way across Union Bay. A man approaches with two little short-haired dogs with spots over their faces. It would have made a wonderful photo if I were a more skilled photographer, or at least quicker to react to the situation. I love the look of a dog being led on a leash around the curve of the edge.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Illumination, or Lack Thereof

If you go to the Viewpoint after dark, you see a beautiful array of lights in the great expanse that makes up the "view" one sees from the Viewpoint. Some of the lights are orangish, some bluish, others white. Some are red, some are green; some are bright, some dull.Without carefully examining their configuration, you might think that every night the lights are the same. In fact, just which lights are shining where changes a good deal from night to night. The more you know about where each light is, the more you can begin to understand about the social or demographic patterns governing their illumination or lack thereof. By contrast, the moon, planets and stars appear and disappear with no relationship to human activity, with the exception of the effects of pollution on the visibility of the celestial bodies in the night sky.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

White Sky

There was a little breeze at the Viewpoint when I stopped by about an hour ago. There were no unusual effects that I could discern. The sky was more or less white. I picked up a few stray cans and had a short conversation with someone I know, as he came passing by. Each time I see the Viewpoint, it's a painting in my mind.

Paul D. Natkin