The view of Abbot Hall from Crocker Park taken 3 hours apart shows the differences in a scene based on time, focal length and composition
The view of Abbot Hall from Crocker Park taken 3 hours apart shows the differences in a scene based on time, focal length and composition

Next week will mark 10 years of Wednesdays in Marblehead with a video of my favorite images captured in the last decade to be shared on Wednesday, August 12.  As a prelude to that, this study at Crocker Park seemed the perfect opportunity to show how I can continue to shoot the same (or similar) scenes year after year and yet come away with enough differences to make each image unique.

Today’s shots were taken on July 1, 2015 – the first at 5:40pm and the second at 8:17pm. The location is almost identical, the camera and lens used were the same. I changed the focal length slightly – 45mm for the earlier shot and 35mm for the sunset one. At first glance, the scenes seem familiar and quite similar. But looking at them more closely you start noticing all the little differences that amount to each being a unique shot and story if you will.

The earlier image, though tighter at 45mm, includes more of the foreground of rock and grass as well as the tree to help frame the shot. Abbot is centered in the frame and the overhead light comes in at an angle to help break up the vertical lines of the houses and windows.

The later shot, includes far more sky as the pink-purple light was the focal point this time. Without the tree to the right, Abbot and the houses become less prominent and allow the sky to take center stage. They help set the scene as Marblehead but don’t demand the viewer’s eye as the earlier one did.

So two images, taken 3 hours apart, with different light and framing end up creating very different images. And the real kicker is that these were not my favorites from the outing and thus had to wait 5 years to see the light of day. I had gone out at 5pm to chase after a storm and then returned at 7pm for the moonrise which I ended up capturing over the Eastern Yacht Club lit up in the red glow of sunset. It was only because of that glow, that I turned and saw an incredible sky that I first captured with a horizontal (or landscape) oriented image and later got the vertical you see here.

Here are all of the images captured on this one day at Crocker Park and one reason why I feel like I can keep shooting this town of 4.4 square miles and come home with unique images each and every time.