Blue Hour (for Denise/MrsRatbag) by Chipka
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Description
Blue Hour photography is one of my favorite challenges; I suspect that it’s because I’m rather cat-like. I like the promise of a day not yet revealed, or the promise of a night, only just blossoming. Because of circumstances, I generally capture more evening-twilight blue-hours; this—I suspect—also follows the crepuscular activity patterns of cats. Though it’s commonly accepted that cats are nocturnal (and they are, somewhat) they actually prefer to hunt and to do other necessary things during twilight hours. Total darkness and full daylight are generally reserved for other feline-approved activities, such as sleeping, preening, and—most commonly—supervising. (It’s a well known fact that cats do most of their supervising at night; this is also the time when more adept members of the Feline Network are charged with the task of testing and implementing new Human Behavior Modification algorithms. If one listens very carefully, one may notice that the purr of a familiar cat may change oh-so-slightly from one day to the next: that’s because the cat in question has been busy (the night before) editing his/her purr-pattern and, thus, increasing his/her chances of getting a nice, fresh can of tuna…or at least a new catnip toy.
I didn’t intend to make this into an observation of felinoid activities, but the topic of cats is never one to ignore. I have it on good authority (feline authority) that sensible human people spend a lot of time talking about cats. And so, there yo have it...
I intended to make this into a dedication for MrsRatbag. I wanted to post something eye-grabbing and revealing (in at least one interpretation of that word) and I came across this. I like it for the colors, for the intensity of the twilight sky, and for the “hot” colors that Chicago does so well: especially at night. It’s a shot of Franklin Street: the defining el-shadowed causeway of Chicago’s Gallery District. Here, you may find traditional and non-traditional art sold at typically high-end prices. Old post office buildings have been converted into clothing boutiques. Fashion designers work in lofts, doing the fashion-designer thing, while venerable old buildings attest to another Chicago. Skyscrapers loom elsewhere. The Gallery District is home to shorter buildings. There are high-rise apartments nearby, and other tall things; but, none of them are bona-fide skyscrapers. Those occur farther east and farther west. Here, the old Chicago asserts itself in its galleries, its historically-significant restaurants, its trendy new restaurants, and any other sort of place that may fit into what was once a stable, a warehouse, or something cryptic and (by Chicago standards) ancient. This area is intriguing, especially at Blue Hour, and so I figure it’s a fitting birthday dedication, too. And so, with that in mind:
Happy Birthday, Denise!
Comments (22)
MrsRatbag
It's perfect, Chip, and I thank you so very much! I LOVE the colours, the richness, and the stark contrast between the cool blue sky and rich gold/red of the lights...Wonderful shot and dedi, my friend!
Faemike55
Fantastic image and wonderful dedication to Denise I see that she loves it very much the colours are very vibrant and alive
Fidelity2
Oh, how nice it is. I thank you for it. 5+!!
durleybeachbum
Wonderful,gorgeous..and shorter buildings sounds great!
Sea_Dog
Superb work. I love photographing during the "Blue Hour", you get such amazing skies and the contrast between natural light and man-made light makes for great images. This image is no exception; like all your Chicago shots it has a special feeling about it as if the city were looking over your shoulder when you took it. Well done
jac204
Nice photo and interesting narative. You made me think of another part of Chicago that I visited the one time I stayed in Chicago which was called "Old Town". I remember it as kind of an early hippie place in the late 60's of low lying buildings that might have been warehouses at one time. It was to the north, I believe. Ring a bell?
helanker
TYhis is another of your golden shots that I love so much. Looks fantastic and its a perfect dedi for Denise :)
auntietk
That deep blue is the perfect complement to the gold tones of the city. What a fabulous image for Denise's birthday!
Adobe_One_Kenobi
A nifty look into the urban lifestyle of your home patch Chip. Very nice shot and dedication to my honey.
flavia49
fantastic
PREECHER
i really like the overall green/red complimentary place...very nice!!! chills and thrills
sandra46
superlative work! great image!
whaleman
I love the shot and the dedication! No time to read the story tonight though! :(
kgb224
Amazing capture and dedication my friend. God Bless.
pauldeleu
This is really good and sharp.
pat40
Stunning.
vis151
Excellent photo
dragonmuse
Delightful. Love the contrasts of hues. Seems to catch the heat of concrete while the cooler evening comes on. Beautifully done.
praep
Blue hour in red lights - great shot.
CoreyBlack
This is a little late, but Happy Birthday!!
brewgirlca
Great work, I really like this shot. It is photographically quite intriguing.... as so many of your works are... indeed I hang out here a fair bit especially when I need to shock my sense of staid possibility... but I digress. What interests me is the great depth of field you got here. Now I am sure that like me you pretty much disdain a tripod and so I wonder how did you do this cause I would normally expect a wide open aperature. But then the DOF should be capute. I do seem some hot spots in the sky so I know you bumped up the ISO to maybe 1200 but you still got amazing depth. I love the way, as you say, that the warm light pours forth from this image. A beautiful mesh of yellow light, red structure and blue sky... that is only gonna be found in a hot city. You capture the neighborhood beautifully.
danapommet
Excellent lighting, color and depth!