The One That Got Away

Posted by Dave Updegraff on March 1, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Community of Bellevue, Iowa

Nikon D300S | Nikon 70-30 mm lens | ISO 200 1/1000 sec @ f8

The above image is the community of Bellevue, Iowa from our photo shoot there last Fall.  I’m going back in time to that shoot because my spectacular sunset that I was going to show you today “got away.” More about that in a moment.

This image was taken from Bellevue State Park over looking the town of Bellevue.  Becki and I both agree that we need to go back to this park as there are just a lot of great places to shoot.

Photo Shoot In The Park

Nikon D300S | Nikon 70-300 mm lens | ISO 200 1/60 sec @ f8

We kept crossing paths with this young group of people.  I’m assuming this young couple are married and they have come to the park with their young son to have some family images made.  I did not get a chance to talk with the couple.  I did talk to the photographer (she’s a Cannon shooter but I was friendly anyway.)

She said she is a student in college majoring in photography.  They were shooting all over the part in a variety settings and back drops.  I liked the color combination they were wearing and some of the areas where they were shooting made for some great backgrounds.  Gave me some ideas.

Family In The Park

Nikon D300S | Nikon 70-300 mm lens | ISO 200 1/1000 sec @ f8

We had stopped at the over-look to shoot some images of the river when this couple came by.  They gave their point & shoot camera to Becki and asked her to take their pictures.  As they were posing for her it reminded me of an ad you would see in a life style magazine of  a family picture.  So I did what any photographer would do, I took the shot.  I kind of like it.

Now about the one that got away.  I was driving home last night and it was a very pretty sky with bright sunshine.  As I turned by the airport on Skyline Road I noticed the sun was starting to get that orange glow to it.  Not only that it seemed to be getting bigger.

I knew if I hurried I could get to a place on Sundown Road where there is a windmill alongside the road and it would offer a nice image against that orange sun.  The more I drove the more orange the sun got and it was just getting huge.

Finally I turned on Sundown Road and as I got with in an 1/8 of a mile from the windmill the sun ducked behind a layer of clouds that were rising from the horizon, which I hadn’t been able to see. I was left with nothing and not even enough light to make a decent image of the windmill.  😦  As James Bond would say, “Perhaps another time.”

Thanks for stopping by.  Be careful out there.