Follow the Light: Darkness falls, light takes hold

  • Taylor's Bull Branch Park is seen in the early-evening hours on Friday, January 24, 2025, about an hour after sunset. Bull Branch Creek flows through the park, at one point offering a pond before proceeding to Murphy Park and beyond. Cypress trees have taken on their winter look for a while. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Taylor's Bull Branch Park is seen in the early-evening hours on Friday, January 24, 2025, about an hour after sunset. Bull Branch Creek flows through the park, at one point offering a pond before proceeding to Murphy Park and beyond. Cypress trees have taken on their winter look for a while. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Taylor's Bull Branch Park is seen in the early-evening hours on Friday, January 24, 2025. Bull Branch Creek flows through the park, at one point offering a pond before proceeding to Murphy Park and beyond. Cypress trees have taken on their winter look for a while. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Taylor's Bull Branch Park is seen in the early-evening hours on Friday, January 24, 2025. Bull Branch Creek flows through the park, at one point offering a pond before proceeding to Murphy Park and beyond. Cypress trees have taken on their winter look for a while. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Trees in TaylorÕs Bull Branch Park are highlighted by warm walking trail lights in the early-evening hours on Friday, January 24, 2025. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Trees in TaylorÕs Bull Branch Park are highlighted by warm walking trail lights in the early-evening hours on Friday, January 24, 2025. Photo by Andy Sharp.

    Bull Branch Park in Taylor is a place I visit regularly during daily walks. It’s relaxing to see the ducks, geese, herons and egrets as they spend time around a pond that connects with Bull Branch Creek. The cypress trees throughout the park are inspiring. 

    As winter takes hold, the trees shed their summer and fall finery. 

    At certain times of the evening, usually around 30 minutes past sunset, those trees evolve in a nice way, sometimes given added dimension when a little league team is practicing, or playing a game close to the pond. The lights over the playing field find their way into the trees, gracing their limbs with gentle light. Away from the pond, the park’s street lights add a smattering of warmth to the otherwise cool scene. 

    The photos offered here were from an outing there a few nights ago. 

    Even with the baseball field lights glowing, it was pretty dark. With today’s camera technology, it’s become easier to do low-light photography, but when possible, my tripod is always nearby. You’ll hear much about how a higher ISO allows greater light sensitivity to take photographs, but a tripod allows one to use much slower shutter speeds, thus lower ISO readings. ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. You’d think it would be IOS, not ISO. It is what it is. 

    The photographs included here had camera exposures anywhere from one to 10 seconds in length, with ISO ratings from 200 to 800. Thankfully, subject movement was of little concern. 

    These occasional columns are mostly about the nature of light. A night session at the park was a good way to offer that magic to our readers. 

    Photos
    Follow the Light