Scouting

Clinton Library

Clinton Library scouting shotI’m often on a tight schedule when shooting and that’s not always a good thing. Yesterday, I had the luxury of getting into Little Rock fairly early so that I cold scout some things that I would be shooting during my stay here. Foremost among those was the Clinton Presidential Library. My scouting shot is seen in the small image and the resulting shot from later in the day is at the top of this post.

Scouting in this case was a huge help. I had originally wanted a shot from the cantilevered end of the Library. I’d seen shots like this that I thought were fairly successful. Once on site, however, I came to the conclusion that these must have been shot from the old railroad bridge that will be a future pedestrian path over the Arkansas River. Note the word “future”. The bridge is currently fenced off and has a disturbing lack of decking to walk on. These other photos I’d seen must have been made with more pre-planning and permissions than I can manage on this trip.

So, on to plan B. Walking around the Library I finally came across the fountains in front that I thought could be well used as a reflecting pool once it got a little darker. I framed up a few shots and knew where I wanted to be when I came back at sunset. I’m happy with the results but I also tried a few variations during the brief half hour of good light. Here’s another from the other end of the fountain where the water inexplicably shoots up higher. (Maybe this is a water pressure issue or maybe it’s symbolic — if I find out when I tour the Library later, I’ll let you know.)

Clinton Library, second option

Now… if only that light wasn’t burned out…