High tide at the blue hour

Continent or ocean
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The view over the Rhine to the west bank, including the crane houses, is impressive. At the blue hour, however, as soon as the windows of the offices are lit and reflected in the Rhine, this scene is again enhanced. Corresponding picture compositions can only be optimally realized if the blue hour takes place before the office closes, as otherwise the office rooms are not illuminated.

I have already photographed the motif on the Rhine several times over the past few years, e.g. in autumn 2013 (see picture 3) but never during floods. So this photo project on February 10th, 2021 became a special experience: 10 minus degrees made the fingers stiff despite the gloves, but the Nikon D850 (here with a battery grip and two accumulators in use) held out very well, so a few films of the ships passing by could be taken. But at some point the batteries were exhausted and the planned project was actually already finished, when on the way back to the parking lot the concrete object in the Rhine that was flowing around appeared, which absolutely had to be photographed - a classic composition with objects in a triangle and golden ratio. So with stiff fingers unpacked the Nikon again, mounted it on the tripod.

With an LED flashlight, the concrete wall could be perfectly set in scene and the last remaining energy from the batteries was enough for a few shots of this scene - it was worth it.

Picture 1: Flood of the Rhine in Cologne
Picture 2: Flooding of the Rhine in front of the crane houses in Cologne
Picture 3: The crane houses on the Rhine at night (2013)
Picture 4: Photo setup on the Rhine
Video: Shipping on the Rhine in time lapse