It’s the middle of the month, and today we’re looking back to a trip in January 2015 to Two Rivers Park and Bridge. Two Rivers Park gets its name from the fact that it is located at the point where the Little Maumelle River flows into the Arkansas River. With it being my first visit to the area, I wasn’t sure what to expect, which was probably very helpful in letting me keep an open mind.
Winter in Arkansas typically doesn’t really get started until January, and January 2015 was no exception. I arrived about an hour before sunrise to give myself time to walk across the bridge to the peninsula separating the two rivers and find something to photograph. I don’t remember what the temperature was, but it had to be in the teens. What I do remember, though, was that by the time I got across the bridge, I was absolutely freezing, and my hands had almost become numb. But this particular day was. . .well. . .a learning experience: wear gloves and several layers of clothing to stay warm.
When I looked back toward the parking light, I noticed the colored lights illuminating the bridge and the way they stood out against the dark morning sky. With my ungloved hands numb and stiff from the cold, it took me a little bit of time to get my gear set up to capture this image.
Two Rivers Bridge, Arkansas, January 2015
Reaching the edge of the land, I noticed the sky was beginning to brighten, and there were some clouds in the sky. I set up my camera, framed up this scene, and waited for the lightshow to begin.
Sunrise over the Arkansas River, January 2015
The sky continued getting brighter, but I wanted to find a different composition. I walked around quickly looking for something, anything, when I came across this bench. The sky had grown quite bright, but the foreground was still pretty dark. This created far more contrast than my camera could handle, so I took several frames to blend the exposures together. I really like the way the light is being reflected by the clouds bathing everything in a light orange tone.
Sunrise over the Arkansas River, January 2015
That’s all for this month’s look back. I hope you enjoyed it.