It started with this:
I had been meaning to get out at dawn, to shoot from somewhere other than my balcony. If I were brave, I could count the images I’ve posted, all shot from my balcony/sniper’s nest.
Mrs. Stevo and a classmate (who I would interview later in the morning) were sharing the bed. Me, being the dutiful and insomnia affected husband, had taken the sofa. After seeing the above scene I quickly dressed and dashed out as quietly as I could. Shooting at sunrise is difficult proposition: The light changes by the minute.
I headed on to The Promenade, the main shopping area of my community. There were signs of life. Employees in the bakery shuffled about. The clerk from the new 7-11 stood outside the store, smoking. Sidewalk vendors selling breakfast foods were preparing from their customers, who would dash by on their way to the bus stop.
The joke is that Shenzhen’s migratory bird is the building crane. They only migrate from one building site to another. They are an ever-present part of the skyline. My development is 10 years old and still not complete. The construction crews were hard at work under an almost-blue sky, the promise of a hot day.
I walked north, then east, along the road that circles the development. The sun rose behind man’s inventions. To the east there was nothing, a no man’s land of scrub brush. In the rising sun it felt like standing on the edge of the world. In reality, it was the edge of the world: My world, my community, my life.
There is beauty in Shenzhen, if you know how to see it.
By the time I returned home the magical light was gone. It’s fleeting, like a first kiss, but just as sweet. Even in China’s industrial south, in a gated community, sunrises are still a marvel if you can see beyond what is there.
Captured: July 6, 2008.
Nice set Stevo, very well done…
R(etc… )
I love all of them, but most especially, the tower. Man-made and nature. Very nice.
Beautiful.
Although, I think Mrs. Stevo needs a better name… or maybe you’ll start a trend. Perhaps now I will refer to my husband as Mr. Christine on my blog. On man, the domestic mutiny I would have on my hands…
Ron: Thanks. Your thoughts mean a lot.
Jennifer: That’s my fave too.
Christine: I think Mr. Christine has a nice ring to it…
Almost makes one want to get up early and watch the sunrise, almost. 😉
Shawn Ws last blog post..The Atomic Fur-Ball
I am starting to call my husband Mr. Andie. Thanks for the trend. It’s a cool one. I’ll spread the word around.
Those are great shots of sunrise. I am yet to catch sunrise. Not an early riser. I think I will settle with sunsets.
I love seeing your pics, being an Asian.
I have never been to China before, so from you pics, I can see the beauty of China…
especially the sunrises.
Keep it up.
hms last blog post..Whales should be shot with Canons, not harpoons.
Wonderful, Stevo. You captured the feeling of early morning so well.
Robins last blog post..Sunset
Absolutely beautiful, Stevo. I especially like the clouds in the final photo.
mariannes last blog post..The Mirror
dude that is some beautiful photography, i need to start taking my camera outdoors again, all this conceptual photography i’ve been doing for uni has been rather interior as of late…
mercury727s last blog post..transmission restored
I’ve been lax in replying, my apologies.
Shawn: The early bird gets the worm.
Andie: Welcome! Ditto on the early bird comment.
hm: Welcome, and thank you.
Robin: Merci.
marianne: It looks like something is on fire, doesn’t it?
mercury: Welcome, in your current incarnation. Get thee outside, PDQ!
Even better reason to stay in bed. Worms? Icky!
Shawn Ws last blog post..The Atomic Fur-Ball
Shawn: If prepared properly worms are delicious.
Stevos last blog post..watchful gaze
Yep, very nice. Worth getting up early for. I do anyway so…
On another note, my first kisses have never been fleeting..hmm..wonder why. Neither always sweet, come to think of it.
Average Janes last blog post..Instant salvation
AJ: Another early-riser? How nice. We should start a club. It’s a shame about your kisses, my firsts have always been sweet, metaphorically. In one instance the onion dip on her breath was ignored.
Very beautiful.
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