As the Day Winds Down
This time of year I’m often out in the garden, either working or photographing, until nearly sunset. Then we’ll prepare dinner and sit at our kitchen table enjoying the view of our garden as we eat. I’ve taken to keeping one of my cameras in the house, rather than the studio, so I’ll be ready when I see nice light happening in the garden.
Last night I left the table to head out when the last rays of evening sun illuminated the branches and new foliage of this large black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) that stands in our woods not far from the border with our lawn.
I love the form of this treetop any time, but it’s particularly striking late in the day like this. This image was captured 24 minutes before official sunset.
About 20 minutes after sunset I went back out to the garden in the very soft moonlit twilight. Colors become soft, muted, and tinged with blue. I listened to the chorus frogs peeping in our pond as I worked.
The tuetur in this perennial bed has become a favorite subject in all kinds of weather and light. By mid-summer it should be wrapped in gold with the foliage of golden hops, just now starting to climb. The perennial beds in the foreground will explode with color in another month or so, but for now I like the softness, the hint of mystery, and the expectation of future blooms lurking among the leaves.
What provided the light for these images? The nearly full moon, which graced the sky above a large red alder snag. The moon will actually be full tonight, but it was so close last night you can’t really tell the difference.