City Living

I got out quite a bit this month.

I made far more compositions than I could reasonably get through culling, let alone editing.

Perhaps projects for next year, as I was very much aiming to capture autumn scenes.

I visited this particular spot a bunch of times over a roughly two-week period.

Prospect Park is one of the few places offering a commanding view of the city below that isn’t on private property.

Word nerds will appreciate why prospect is an apt name for this public site.

There’s probably some colonialism embedded in it as well. Especially given the massive statue of Roger Williams with outstretched palm out of frame to my left.

As you might expect, I captured some rather varied visual stories due to changes in weather conditions.

I personally got a real sense for how different the foliage looked from one day to the next as trees shed their leaves.

The top of the tree at right but closest to center is nearly bare in places here.

Whereas its crown and highest reaching limbs still had bright leaves just four days prior.

Although on that previous occasion I was treated to a far more vibrant scene that really sells the autumn vibe, the 1 or 2 PM sun gave a rather harsh cast, resulting in a washed-out sky in camera.

I also visited this spot on the second night of the geomagnetic storm that produced strong auroras up and down the east coast this November.

Sadly, it was a bust in my area due to heavy cloud cover. People reported seeing the northern lights just 24 miles away from me. Boston got better looks as well.

I should have gone out the first night, which overperformed.

However, I was already in bed and couldn’t be bothered to bundle up.

I know better now.

I like that this scene shows off not only my city’s compact skyline and surrounding rooftops but also the small patches of “greenery” that have been kept despite urbanization.

Very cozy even though we’re now regularly seeing temps dip into the low 30s and high 20s overnight.

I was telling folks whom I shared phone photos with that it feels like home here.

That’s possibly the first time I’ve thought of Providence that way since moving over a year ago.

I’m challenged to make cityscape compositions.

While Rhode Island’s capital isn’t the first city I’ve lived in, I’ve spent the majority of my life in places that are perhaps best described as suburban bordering on rural.

I think my recent efforts at capturing city vistas bode well.