A frame from this morning’s shoot

This morning I was up before dawn, as I have been for the past three mornings, hunting for special light. Light that reflects the distance of the sun at the approach of the winter Solstice. Indirect light that hints at the sun without showing it directly. And today I got lucky: for a brief window of about 30 minutes, the sun peeked out from under the ever-present clouds blanketing the city. This is a frame from the footage.

I was driving down 36th when I realized what was happening, and zipped up to park under the nose of the Troll on the north end of the Fremont Bridge. I ran up the stairs and south on the east side of the bridge to a spot just a few feet away from a wreath that marks the spot where a Seattle Metro bus plunged over the edge back in 1998.

It’s amazing how much vibration the Aurora Bridge transmits. It’s almost impossible to shoot video with a lens longer than 150mm, unless you’ve got an image stabilizer, and even then your shot is ruined if a big truck rolls past. I shot this footage with a Canon 60D and Nikon 75-150mm f/3.5 zoom (used with a Fotodiox adapter) that I picked up for $65 from Camera Techs in Ballard. It’s a great little lens that I carry almost everywhere.

Nailing this kind of shot before breakfast is like morning sex: keeps me smiling all day!