Beachfront sunrise. 7:53 a.m. 2002. Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Click image for full view. This image became a widely distributed postcard.By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net.
As a photographer, I much prefer sunrises to sunsets. Maybe it’s because photographs of sunrises are rarer than sunsets. After all, most people are still awake when the sun sets, but hardly anyone is up and about when the sun reappears early in the morning. But also, in my opinion, sunrises are more beautiful than sunsets, and speaking philosophically, more uplifting because beginnings are happier than endings.
Yet people love to see images of sunsets. To be honest, I almost never photograph a sunset or accept one for publication on Blogfinger with rare exceptions as when the sunset is contributory to something else in the photograph, such as special lighting for a back-lit portrait.
Some of you will probably sneer at my opinion and consider me to be an effete snob. One of the definitions of effete is “decadent.” I like that, although I have never actually tried it — except when I sneak over to Days for an illicit hot fudge sundae, twice or thrice each summer.
Of course, this image has some special meaning since the portion of the pier that is seen here is no longer present due to hurricane Sandy (2012,) and compare to the recent total rebuild. I think they both went out 500 feet.
The picture reminds me of the song from Annie –“Tomorrow” (“The sun will come out tomorrow; bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun…”). But that’s not the song for this photograph.
Instead, I’m in the mood for John Rutter’s music, and here is his “Blow, blow thou winter wind.” — Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net