A few weeks ago, Lorne and I were driving out of the alley behind our apartment and, as we passed the aged and crumbling makeshift garage at the back of one of the houses just behind our building, I noticed how the last drops of 'golden hour' sunlight picked out every colour and detail of the green ivy leaves against their somewhat decrepit, faded-paint backdrop. I made a mental note to capture a photograph at the next available opportunity - i.e. right moment, right weather, right time of day. Not as easy as it sounds.
It wasn't until last Saturday, at around 4pm, after a shamefully lazy day indoors, I decided to go for a walk along West 4th Ave., leaving the building out of the back way so I could throw some garbage in the dumpster. Plodding up the alley, I once again passed by this scene - having almost forgotten - and the light was just perfect! Of course I didn't have my SLR with me, so this is captured with my Iphone 4. Plus there was a car parked right near it and a big, fat stripey spider had built its enormous web stretching from the trunk of the car over and across to the upper vines of ivy, thus hovering mid-air, right where I wanted to kneel and get a shot. But I knew the afternoon light was quickly fading on that spot so there wouldn't be time to run upstairs and grab my Nikon....and zoom lens (so I could stand well clear of the web).
It took a little careful limboing on my part to get in there without upsetting or attracting the 8-legged beasty (moreso because I'm ridiculously arachnophobic) but I'm so glad I did because I love the way the light not only enhances the colours - and fading paintwork - of this scene, but it also picks out the more subtle details of light and shadow, pattern, texture and the integration of decay and rot, counter-balanced with the vibrant new growth of the three little leaves peeping curiously around the split siding.
If the weather's right this weekend, I might just have to try again with my Nikon.
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