The Mysterious Chemistry of Twilight

[Above] The Mysterious Chemistry of Twilight
Sunset behind Provincetown from the Truro shoreline.
Truro. Massachusetts

No, the name isn’t a lyric from an Emo song.

“The Mysterious Chemistry of Twilight” is a line from the audio book we listened to on the drive to the Cape this past weekend. I liked the flow of the words and set out to take a photo to match the phrase. As the sun set behind Provincetown, I set up in a tidal flat for this exposure.

The Cape feels decidedly different in the off season. The lines have evaporated and the quaint shops of P-Town have either closed early or shut down for the season, leaving thank you signs in empty windows promising to “see you in April.” The shore in the off season is very appealing.

The last time I was in Las Vegas, I visited Peter Lik’s gallery in Cesar’s Palace. I have long been a huge fan of Peter’s work, and seeing his work in person was a must. His gallery is filled with amazing, large format landscapes printed with metallic pigments. The photos are mounted with track lighting with dimmers. As the display lights are dimmed, different wavelengths of light react with the metallic pigments in the photos. The result is a truly dynamic image that seems to change in hue and intensity in much the same way the sunset changes the colors of the land and sky. The effect is a 2 dimensional living landscape.

“The Mysterious Chemistry of Twilight” is 63 inches wide. Tonight, I am in the process of preparing the CMYK production file for metallic printing. This will be the first image I mount with optical lights and dimmers. If successful, I plan on constructing custom frames with built in lighting for my large metallic print offerings.

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Warm Cars Are Better Than Cold Hands

[Left] Gear Box
Truro, Massachusetts

Just back from a weekend on the Cape. The early morning weather was cold along the coast. Monday, at Race Point at 5am, the air temperature was 38 degrees backed by a 30 knot onshore wind. Standing on the observation deck over the beach, the open Atlantic was streaked white with crescents of white water. The weather was so cold, that it beat me back to the warm car within ten minutes. Ungloved hands on cold tripod legs knot up quickly.

I was hoping to shoot some star trail photos of Pilgrim Monument and the Provincetown skyline, but the weather and atmospheric conditions didn’t cooperate. Personally, I didn’t have the fortitude to stand on the shore for a few hours photographing the arc of the constellations as the planet revolved on its axis. The fireplace was far too tempting.

Above is the compliment of photo gear I brought along for the weekend*. Personally, I love lugging Pelican boxes through hotel lobbies. The sight of the ABS plastic cases is always a catalyst for conservation. More than once I have been asked if I am a scientist on a research project. The temptation is always there to concoct wild stories about the contents of the cases. But I don’t.

* Old school tripods for exposure to salt water and sand.

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Nauset Light Cross Processed

[Left]
Nauset Light
Eastham,
Massachusetts
Cross Processed E6 in C41

August was the last time we were on the Cape. The days were cool and the nights were cold. The summer's humidity dome had collapsed a few weeks before. Now, the warm weather is gone and I feel cheated. This is the first year without 90 degree beach days along the Atlantic.

Going back to Truro soon. The sky has changed color with the change of seasons. I have some medium format star trail photos planned, weather permitting.

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