It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, pardon the pun.
As always, the December header topic was a challenge. Most Christmas displays aren't fired up until we get in to December, and I'm not complaining about that. Let's do Thanksgiving first, decompress for a few days and then move in to Christmas.
The WEJL tower atop the Scranton Times building was lit the night before Thanksgiving, a tradition, and that's fine. It was a good show. It brought a lot of people downtown and it was a great kick off to the holiday season. It was nice to see Thanksgiving Eve activities that didn't involve a crowded bar.
This year, the tower is my white whale. I tried a set of shots Black Friday morning and I hated them all. I just couldn't get it right. I attempted every combination of ISO, exposure and aperture. If I got the lighting right, the focus was off and vice versa.
Unless it's a special occasion, the lights go off at 2 am. I decided to try it again on the way to work November 30, paying extra special attention to the focus. Yes, I trusted myself rather than the camera and went manual. It's still far from a perfect shot, but it's the best of the bunch.
I love the tower, especially at Christmas. Have a great month!