A Business Park at Golden Hour Never Looked So Nice

On an earlier post, Nature is Just Outside Your Door, I took an evening walk around my neighborhood for photography. Despite thinking I’d get more street photography or murals in the area; I ended up focusing on nature. Trees specifically. But that was the goal. I wanted more practice. On the way home from work one evening, I had to take a bus, which was unusual for me. In a hurry and stuck in an industrial park, golden hour hit and my camera got to work.

Maybe it was boredom of an after work walk to the bus, but I suddenly spotted things to photograph. I told myself, when was I going to stop by again? Might as well. Just to mention, I don’t only take photographs at golden hour. But it is a constant temptation. Sign of an amateur, for sure.

Seeing Pictures Everywhere

Part of my brain makes me think I was just trying to be productive. But also, everything was charming to me. There was a flock of birds flying around, for a while. Terrible with timing, I only caught the tail end of it. But the leaves of young trees were calling to me. And there were barely any trees around. Fresh little berries in the sunlight made themselves known.

This was in early October. The foliage was still green but losing color. This short tree was covering a small manufacturing building. When I saw it, I zoomed in on the berries. The bright red color lifted my spirits. As a child, I squeezed these for the “fake blood.” Didn’t have a need for it, it was just something I did if I could reach them.

Must’ve missed a garden, but with the sun setting, it made me think of a harvest in a warm area. I took my pictures knowing I would be cropping it. The last thing I wanted people to think when they saw this was a manufacturing building in a boring industrial park.

I was in a mood to photograph. Walking past these trees in a row, they suddenly grabbed my attention. There was a slight breeze strolling by. It made the trees look like they were calling out for attention. Looking back at my photographs this day, I didn’t take too many. Slim pickings to begin with but I liked these. This means I wasn’t practicing or trying to get some shots in. This was just my natural response.

Thoughts Images Trigger

Couldn’t escape the trees though. There aren’t many trees, just a few young ones for landscaping outside the different manufacturing offices. The short, round pine needles always call out to me. Specifically, to prick my finger on the sharp needles. Subconsciously exploring my Sleeping Beauty moment.

It makes me think of that scene where Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger on the spindle of a sewing machine. Despite hurting when it’s sharp, I’m kind of disappointed when the pine needles aren’t sharp. I try again, thinking it’s a glitch. But no, some of those needles are soft and flexible.

The tree looks unusual. This kind looks like something that should be in a hot climate, like the few trees on the edges of a desert. The leaves in the shade almost looks like shadows of the tree on the sky. We can also see both outside and slightly under the tree. At this angle, the tree looks taller than it is.

In case anyone’s curious this is what an industrial park looks like. Wide open spaces in between different manufacturing businesses. There’s the plant itself, offices, and docks in between each business. Almost nobody is walking on these sidewalks. Lots of trucks are rolling through, so I have to keep an eye out anyway. Not quite as peaceful as it looks.

Industrial Parks are massive and go for miles, with little foot traffic or other kinds of businesses nearby. They’re intentionally out of the way. No little shops along the sidewalk or regular city streets. No major signs of life. Difficult to find a subject. A good challenge though. But again, slim pickings.

As you can see, the sunset brought about the mood to photograph.

On an upcoming post, Ugly Things Are Interesting Too, I’ll share some “ugly” sights that catch my eye. This can be random things that seemingly ruin great sights and just a part of the environment. Or it can be small things that look like a hot mess, but I want to keep for some reason. Keep an eye out.

Photograph what you’re drawn too, even “ugly” things

This is on a walking path on the property of my work. Essentially my work’s backyard. On a lunch break, sometimes I’ll take a walk and came across this. There are also different kinds of plant life, including tall sunflowers and wheat grass.

In this photo, there are railroad tracks in the distance, lots of electricity lines above, and a combination of ornamental grass, wheat, and wildflowers trying to cover everything up. But this fire hydrant has a logistical purpose but is an unusual sight surrounded by plant life. Not the first rusty fire hydrant I’ve come across. I happen to like seeing rust on things, I think it’s the color and random lines that gets me.

There’s rust on the foreground on an image that is photobombing an otherwise great photo. a contrast between the beauty and the grit. I wonder if people will notice, and how they’ll feel about it. The imperfections bring the images back down to Earth. It can also had a rustic element to things.

And just a reminder, not everything is so segregated. Beautiful sights are often surrounded by unsightly things. Especially in a big city.

Photography patterns reveal your interests

So, what do you find yourself drawn to when taking photos? Is there anything you typically don’t look for but happen to shoot when photographing on the spot? I challenge anyone to head to a boring place, at golden hour if you’d like, and get a couple of shots. I want to see what the goal was, and what you ended up getting.

Of course, zoning in on the details will happen. But also let some of the environment in the picture. Better yet, as I did in Nature Is Just Outside Your Door, try to mislead the environment of your subject. I actually think one of my trees from that post looks like it came out of a forest. Keep your camera handy if the photographing mood hits. Or just a long boring walk inspires you to take a closer look at the sights.