Gonzales Solstice IV
More from the 2013 winter solstice event in Gonzales Bay on Saturday night.
I should have learned from last year’s shots that a candle too close in the foreground does not really work. Even so, I like the idea and I guess will push at it again in the future. Sadly I did not have a great focus point for the picture below. I like the water too much to toss the photo, but I am not sure it will work to crop it, and probably will have to rerun the HDR processing again if I do crop it since the jpeg might not withstand too much.
.
.
Canon 5D MkII, Nikkor-N 24mm/f2.8 lens, ISO500, f5.6, 15 seconds, 3 brackets +/- 1.0 E.V.
.
.
burnt embers 
Your first photo here looks so inviting–it makes me want to squeeze through my screen, wander casually up that beach, and join the folks around that fire. Were they friends? What a great way to celebrate the solstice!
LikeLike
Hi there – I did not know them, though they are probably neighbours – I live about 5 blocks from here and I expect they are from a similar radius. I could have joined them and been welcome, it was one of those evenings. In fact, when they were leaving one of them came over and asked if they should leave the fire on for us. It is a nice place to live and you too would have been welcomed at that fire, had you managed to squeeze through.
LikeLike
I think the rain may enhance the reflected light on the beach and it’s very nice in these photos.
LikeLike
Hi Ken – I think it added something. The tide was going out too so the beach was saturated allowing he rain to rest on the surface more than it might on a sandy beach.
LikeLike
Your solstice photos from last year were some of my favorites, and I like these, too. And, I have to confess to a bit of jealousy that we don’t have anything similar around here.
(And, do you think the candles made it up the slope in time to get that vacant rental?!)
LikeLike
I was lucky last year with the open skies. I see that I processed them quite a bit more brightly as well, which is I suppose indicative of how I felt about it. Though in both instances it was so dark that one had to be very careful on the stairs and to not trip on logs when in areas shadowed from the artificial light.
Maybe you can start something like this, or just go an do it. Along the top edge of a canyon or next to a creek (you have those at this time of year, don’t you?).
I think all the candles extinguished in the effort to get up the stairs, sad story, but that is the light and dark of a candle’s existence.
LikeLike
In New Mexico the Christmas Eve tradition is to light luminarias (in Albuquerque) or farolitos (in Santa Fe) (I don’t know the difference. They are lovely: http://bit.ly/1fEU9qv It’s usually too windy here for that to be a good idea, especially out at the canyon. Too bad, because it would be pretty.
As far as the extinguished candles, let’s just reflect on a great Canadian philosopher, Neil Young, who said, “It’s better to burn out than it is to rust.”
LikeLike
The paper bags are pretty good at keeping the candles burning, and on the beach people usually put some sand in the bottom and then the candle so they don’t blow away, or float away on the rising tide. I am not sure if someone comes along and cleans up, or if the ocean just takes them away. But I suspect there are a lot of small aluminium candle holders involved so I hope someone is gathering the candle remnants in.
LikeLike
Or maybe more like they are marching into the sea.
LikeLike
Or running from the rising tide. Run is not something a sodden paper bag does too well, so ‘flee’ perhaps.
LikeLike
I actually like the juxtaposition of the candle in the near foreground with the water and other luminaries behind. It gives the vague impression that they are marching toward you along the beach.
LikeLike
In the bottom one I think perhaps the candle has “lost its bottle” at the stream crossing for fear of slipping and being extinguished. All the others have made it safely across and are heading up the bank because they hear there is a vacant rental up that slope and are off to put dibs on it.
LikeLike