In Search of the Perfect Shot

Edinburgh Dawn

This morning, as I had hoped it would, dawned clear.  It had rained during the night, so everything was still dampish, but as far as I was concerned, that was just fine.  The morning light, combined with colours made soft by the mist, just adds an extra element to a photography shoot.  And that had been my plan for the wee hours of this morning.

If there has been one thing that has frustrated the bejesus out of me, it’s having had to battle for a decent shot.  Tourist shots are one thing, quality quite another.  So, being that I have nothing better to do at 4:00 a.m., I decided that I would haul myself out and about, wander around Edinburgh and get some of those shots I was after.  No one other than cabbies and drunks were likely to be up at that time of the day, I reasoned.

I did sleep in a little past 4:00 a.m., courtesy of the fire alarm once more blasting me out of bed earlier in the night.  It wasn’t until forty-five minutes past that time that I threw on some clothes, set the kettle to boil for a coffee to go and lit out the door.

Past Arthur’s Seat I went, debated whether to climb or no, then past Holyrood Palace, the Parliament Buildings and ended up close to Calton Hill.  I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of climbing that either, but then I hadn’t been thrilled about the earlier shots I had gotten.  By then, the sun was on the rise and I knew it would be coming over the horizon of the North Sea which could be seen from the top of the hill.  Up I went, at about the same speed as the “little engine that could” and got my shots.

The City at Dawn

On the return, I had a choice to go back the way I came or to go the opposite way down a steep flight of stairs.  Since the morning’s jaunt was all about wandering aimlessly, I opted for the stairs.  At the bottom I was met by a gorgeous little calico cat who demanded love and attention.  Being up for some cat love, too, the pair of us sat on the walk and purred at each other on the rub-bys.