Downtown Atlanta 191 Peachtree Towers

Overcast and Cold

I picked up a neighbor around the corner on Monday late afternoon and we headed downtown. I needed to scope out some areas for a project I'm working on for a client. 

When I was at a holiday party last week, my neighbor, L (I forgot to ask her if she's okay with me putting her name on my blog), offered to go downtown with me. I don't like going alone at dusk because I get very into what I'm doing with my camera and I'm not able to pay enough attention to my surroundings. 

Plus, as a woman, you learn early on that it's always safer to have a buddy with you. 

I love downtown Atlanta but, truth be told, it's not the safest of places, especially where I like to get photos. 

Anyway, we both dressed warmly but were surprised at the ferocity of the cold. 

My hands were red, red, red while I was trying to get photos, and I was shaking. It was only in the 40s but that breeze made it feel much colder. 

The day wasn't pretty enough for the photos I have in mind for my client, but I didn't let that stop me from getting some photos for myself. I especially love the way the weather was a good reflection of that part of the city. 

It's sort of gritty and dirty with lots of construction everywhere. It's amazing how many cranes fill the sky in Atlanta these days, and they've been there for a while.

I edited the cover photo of this post to enhance that gritty look and try to evoke the feeling of being there in that moment.

I was cold and shivering. It was dirty and the lights were just coming on in the buildings.

I was getting in the car when I looked up and had to take a moment to snap one more shot. 

There was nothing "pretty" about the wall, the crane, the light stanchion sticking up. But, I loved the overall composition. I did add the moon because...well...the moon. I'm obsessed with the moon. 

I used to try to take photos without the cranes but now I'm embracing them - they're the constant reality of life in Atlanta. 

It reminds me of a quotation I read recently. It was beautiful. It said sometimes there is no silver lining and there is no bright side, and we just have to accept things as they are. 

Accept difficult decisions, disappointments, regrets, and things that are out of our control (which is most things, I've learned!). 

Embracing the Cold and Dreary

With photography, I used to do my best to wait for the "perfect" moment or frame up only the clean, beautiful composition.

I still love the clean, beautiful compositions, but over the last few years, I've taken pleasure in finding the beauty in whatever is there - because that's reality, and there's so much beauty in our everyday reality.

It's true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

Advertising and social media have groomed us to see only a specific type of beauty, and that's so wrong. We need to open our eyes to all the beauty that surrounds us.  

So often, we walk right by and don't notice things because we're blind to them because they're part of our ordinary landscape. 

I read something yesterday about how modern people are losing sharp eyesight at younger and younger ages because we spend so much time on our computers, tablets, and phones.

I can feel it in my own eyes after a day on the computer and I make a concerted effort to get off the computer every hour and walk outside and look up in the sky or down the street. I looked up some eye exercises that are supposed to help relieve eye strain and I'm going to try those too. 

Those are my rambling thoughts for the day - another rainy, windy one!

I know the holidays can be so fraught for so many people, especially if you've lost loved ones. But, my wish for you is that you find peace and start the new year with hope in your heart. 

And, see you between the raindrops!

xoxo,
Susan 

You can find this photo on the website here.