Calm River Sunrise Photography

Fun With Cameras XLII

A fisherman looks over the river as the sun rises on the horizon. All pictures: Duisburg, Germany, October 11, 2023.

I ventured into a local woodland for the last two Fun With Cameras posts, starting uncomfortably and continuing (more or less) relaxed. Before I take you back to another forest, I’ll share thoughts and results from a morning in a classic urban location.

I remember a morning that started with frustrations and calmed me down with a soft fall sunrise.

A Soft Glowing Bridge & Blue Beginnings

I arrived in the dark streets of Ruhrort, the cleaned-up industrial district in Duisburg I know well from my days in civilian service, only to be disappointed.

I knew there was a never-ending construction saga in the area and had an inkling that could stand in the way of my plans to visit a narrow island on the Rhine River.

And in the way it stood. There’s a bridge that serves as the sole access point to that island when you approach from the north. It was closed.

Approaching from the other direction, one can get onto that island without that bridge. But that was out of reach for the morning. Bummer.

I had a contingency plan that softened the blow. It involved lots of walking and crossing the mighty river to a district called Homberg.

The walk revealed one valuable bit of information to me. My plan to spot the installation Rheinorange (which I’ve covered here already and brushed lightly when I wrote about an old friend and updated you on cycling progress) from a new vantage point while being illuminated wouldn’t have worked even if I had made it to that island. The light installation is off in the mornings. My eyes could only pick up shadowy details of what I surmised must be the orange block.

When I finally reached the waterfront after more kilometers of walking than I like to admit, the early signs of sunrise improved my mood.

I decided to use the opportunity and slowly stroll back to Ruhrort on the footpath that hugs the river, enjoying the quiet sunrise.

I started with a 50 mm lens but quickly realized it was too tight for the scenery. I swapped to a 35 mm Objectif and carried on. Much better. I didn’t change lenses for the rest of the morning.

I tried to include ships for the bridge pictures to add some life and visual interest. The problem was that no specimen that crossed my path at the time wanted to work. Instead of spicing up the scene, they introduced clutter and complexity.

Left Sunrise skies behind the motorway bridge across the river Rhine. Center Late blue hour glance over the Rhine with Ruhrort on the horizon. Right A ship passes on the Rhine as the sun slowly rises behind the motorway bridge.

Random Reactions To Industrial Remains

Once I had satisfied my sky-oriented curiosity, I tried to find other interesting elements.

A statue placed on an overhead passage was one of those elements. Just as I was playing with a few compositions, I noticed a cyclist approaching in the corner of my eye.

I also turned around occasionally, which allowed me to notice a sign that warned of sulfuric acid and issued a forbiddance to linger. I assume it’s more a pointer to the past, as most facilities in that area feel abandoned.

Another overhead structure gave me an idea for a more abstract image of the location and sunrise mood. The colors in the sky drew me to the situation as much as the structure and the moon. I enjoy the simple peace that spreads from the image.

Top left Late blue hour glance over the Rhine with Ruhrort on the horizon. Top right A cyclist rides on the river path toward the river bridge that connects Ruhrort and Homberg. Middle left Looking up at a chimney. Middle right River sunrise panorama with industrial reminders. The sign on the right warns of sulfuric acid. Bottom Simple sunrise vibes.

Sunrise Simplicity

I neared the bridge that would carry me back to Ruhrort and the train station. The sunrise began blooming. I was torn between simple and more complex ways of capturing it.

The clean compositions were a bit boring, the complex ones too cluttered. I selected a few examples I tend to like. I knelt when the embankment cleaned up, finally found a ship that didn’t throw too much weight into the frame, and used silhouetted foreground vegetation and background skyline.

I was about to leave the river path when I noticed a fisherman down at the waterfront. That scene was a nice ending to the walk.

Well, an almost ending. On my way to the bridge, I passed a pavilion while the sun rose behind a church tower.

Now, we can call it a day.

Above and last below Sunrise at the Rhine.

Left A fisherman looks over the river as the sun rises on the horizon. Right Homberg as seen from Ruhrort.

I’ve also included a picture from the Ruhrort side that roughly points to my original destination. It’s not the first patch of grass (I spent some time on that island here). It’s hard to see here, but there’s another island between the first and the orange installation. If you look closely, you can see that the darker patch of green forms an island of its own. That’s where I plan on going soon.

That’s all the photography for now. The next Fun With Cameras will follow in 2 weeks with a return to the forest. Reading recommendations, writing insights, and running updates will bridge the gap next week.