Day 173 - a year in Forest Park

- photography & writing by Edward Crim, St. Louis

 

Things that go buzz in the night

 

“You shouldn’t be so tasty.” my daughter told me when I came home complaining about the billions of mosquitos that had swarmed me this evening (there were probably only about 9 dozen or so, but it seemed like more). I don’t get no respect - and on Father’s day, no less!

I was standing in the Kennedy Savannah about 9:15 trying to get some good photos of the fireflies there (you should see them; it’s as if the stars have fallen into the meadow). Camera on a tripod, 50mm lens set to f2, 2 second exposure, ISO 400. I wandered there from the east side of the park, by Circle Lake, where I was photographing 2 siblings and their cousin (it was a good shoot, with cooperative subjects and lovely light).

For maximum contrast on the fireflies, though, I needed relative darkness, and for once it seemed as if the sun was dawdling on its way west. I resolved I would wait until 9:30 to see if I could get the perfect combination of firefly light and ambient darkness, but by 9:18 the swarm of mosquitos around my head was too thick to see through, so I called it a night and took off for home. You can see the hard earned results here.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

 
 
Made on a Mac

next >

< previous