Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm tripod mounted with cable release @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/5th secYesterday a large cold front passed through stealthily in the night. The whole day following was blustery, chilled . . . and clear. There is nothing like the time after a storm passes to get the clearest shots possible. Despite having The Pier nearby that provides spectacular, panoramic views of the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, I have almost never gone there to shoot on my own. The majority of times I have been there at sunset time was while teaching a DSLR Photography Lesson, as was the case this time again.
Maybe I do not go so often because I have never owned a real tripod. The railing surrounding the roof of The Pier is tall and an average tripod cannot see over it without extending its destabilizing center column. The view is great, but to photograph it well requires a very good tripod.
Maybe it's because I know The Pier is dying. It should be a more exciting place, as basically the landmark of St. Petersburg. Yet every time I have visited there it felt like a place out of the 50s, just a structure of nostalgia that is kept around just because of that.
The city council has voted for a new structure to be built. My first reaction was against such a decision, since I am a very nostalgic person, and I thought The Pier, as flawed as it might be, should be preserved and maybe just needs more love. My second reaction was it would be really exciting to have more of a destination so far out into Tampa Bay just a short drive from my house. My final reaction was, "oh, not even demolished until maybe 2014 at the earliest?" That time frame is far too far in the future for me.