This was a huge part of my weekend. Cloudless, blue skies. Between skies like this and days with lots and lots of high sun as we near the solstice, this is not my favorite time of year to shoot. And I get grumpy because of it. Especially when it’s the second weekend in a row with such conditions. I realize I’m the only person saying this in the state of Illinois but I’d much rather have *any* kind of weather over this. Cloudy skies. Rain. Thunderstorms. We could have a freak June snowstorm and I’d be like a kid in a candy shop. I hate summer.
I think it’s a matter of me needing to figure out how to adjust my outlook, though. I think I’m too quick to throw in the towel on days like what we had all weekend long. I did manage to get out yesterday for some shooting. Even if I didn’t take a single shot all day (which isn’t the case as I’ll discuss), I was able to explore a state park that I haven’t been to. Moraine Hills State Park isn’t terribly far away and it’s actually really nice. It’s a quiet kind of beauty but sometimes those are the kinds of places I like more than dramatic parks like Starved Rock or Matthiessen (though, don’t get me wrong, I love both of those parks).
The other thing I need to remember is that I do end up shooting almost any time I’m out. The light may not be my favorite to work with but before 10:00 and after 4:00, give or take a bit, it’s usually good enough to work with. I like clouds in my skies but I can compose without skies in the frame that if there isn’t a single cloud anywhere. And even on really, really cloudless days like this, there’s usually enough diurnal heating to kick up a few clouds here and there. Yesterday was no exception.
In fact, I ended up shooting 3 frames of 8×10 film. That may not seem like a lot but one needs to remember that the bigger my film gets, the more stingy I am with it. Due to the costs involved with shooting 8×10, it’s got to be a shot that I really want to take before I hit the shutter button. I think I’ve never shot more than 4 frames in a day with 8×10. So a three shot day is pretty decent indeed.
I spent most of the day at Moraine Hills State Park as previously mentioned but I did swing down Illinois State Route 31 to Fabyan’s forest preserve on the way home. That yielded a shot that I’m excited to develop and see how it came out. I also noticed a very interesting post sunset sky when I was almost home, so I swung by Chapel Hill Gardens West and shot the Hippach Memorial Chapel again.
So note to future Chris, even if the weather isn’t quite what you were hoping for, please take your camera out and see what you can find. You never know what will show up!