Perks of Winter Living in Provincetown, Part II
Last time I wrote about morning light in the winter here in Provincetown, in part because most of my recent shooting opportunities had been in the morning. And I was learning and remembering fun things about making photos that time of the day and this time of year.
Lately, I’ve mostly had time to shoot in the evenings, which made me reflect on that time of day, too.
For one thing, in February and March it’s a bit warmer in the evening than in the morning. And it’s mentally rewarding to know that each day I can leave to shoot a little later as the days slowly become longer. Before I was a photographer, I don’t think I realized how an extra minute or two of daylight really matters! It seemed like it got dark early from December until we moved the clocks ahead in early spring–Like, bam! One big change.
But now I see–and appreciate–how the incremental change matters; not just to me, but the animals and plants which are slowly responding to these slightly warmer and longer days.
And, of course, there’s the light itself. Most clear evenings in the summer, we get a spectacular golden hour leading up to and just past sunset. It is a slow and beautiful thing to witness. Darkness comes, but it happens in a subtle and slow way.
In the winter it’s different in two ways. First, golden hours are rare this time of year. They happen, but they tend to be short and often move quickly from a bright yellow to something that is more purple or pink than golden. Second, clear winter days often segue into evening via a distinct blue hour that shades everything with a soft, cool light. This often happens almost at the same time that the bright yellow sets in, so I can observe and capture scenes where the light has that yellow glow in one place and a distinct blue tone in others.
There’s such a sense of mystery and magic in these blue shadows and beams of yellow light. On one hand the colors might seem to clash, but if you look closely and long enough (and I do, even if it’s freezing cold), you see how they harmonize and settle in together.
Looking at the morning and evening light shooting that I’ve done this winter, one thing I’m remembering is that winter photography isn’t all about the snow. Sure, snow shots are great (and in the few larger storms I’ve lived through here in the past five winters, I’ve shot an embarrassing number of photos–especially the Blizzard of 2022), but there’s so much more to it than just having snow on the ground.
It’s really all about the light, which makes sense because photography is–at its core–all about light. And for whatever reason I love spending time trying to catch and show it at its best.
Below are some photos I took on winter evening shoots this year. I recently posted most of these on my Instagram feed with some additional details about each. Check it out if you want to know more–or send me a message!
