Donate

View Finders

Photographer rises with the sun to capture Philly at first light [photos]

    By
  • Jonathan Wilson
    • July 31, 2017
  • A woman jogs past a compass embeded in the floor of the amphitheater at Penns Landing as the sun rises over the Delaware River.

    Penn's Landing: October 2, 2002 7:10 a.m. - Sunrise 6:57 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson / Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • The sky glows blue with pre-dawn light as seen from beneath a highway overpass.

    I-95 at Bridge Street: March 3, 2013 6:04 a.m. - Sunrise 6:30 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for NewsWorks)

  • A griffon on the roof ot the Philadelphia Museum of Art is silhouetted by mist against the Philadelphia skyline at dawn.

    Philadelphia Museum of Art: July 12, 2004 6:12 a.m. - Sunrise 5:42 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for NewsWorks)

  • The rising sun is reflected in the windows behind the Corinthian columns of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

    30th Street Station: March 7. 2009 6:50 a.m. - Sunrise 6:24 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for NewsWorks)

  • The rising sun throws shadows against the windows of a bus shelter, etched with names and initials.

    Bus Shelter, Lindberg Boulevard: October 12, 2004 7:25 a.m. - Sunrise 7:08 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for NewsWorks)

  • The Girard Avenue trolley gleams green and yellow in the light of the newly risen sun.

    Girard Avenue Trolley: March 4, 2017 6:59 a.m. - Sunrise 6:29 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • Three ships are reflected in the water at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

    Philadelphia Navy Yard: June 13, 2017 6:16 a.m. - Sunrise 5:31 a.m. Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • The underside of the Ben Franklin Bridge is silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky while the river reflects the still glowing street lights.

    Benjamin Franklin Bridge: April 14, 2017 5:43 a.m. - Sunrise 6:24 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • A woman in red shorts and pink shirt runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum toward the fountain while the rising sun casts long shadows.

    Philadelphia Museum of Art: September 11, 2012 7:10 a.m. - Sunrise 6:38 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • A broken-tile mosaic on a building in Norther Liberties glitters with the first light of dawn.

    Northern Liberties, St. John Neuman Way: May 9, 2017 5:43 a.m. - Sunrise 5:51 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • Curving trolley tracks on Girard Avenue shine pinkish-silver against the gray of the street in the pre-dawn light.

    Trolley Tracks, Girard Avenue: March 5, 2017 6:49 a.m. - Sunrise 5:55 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • Yellow sunlight silhouettes a person waiting for a train on the Market Frankford El and causes the tracks to sparkle

    Market Frankford El: June 28, 2017 6:09 a.m. - Sunrise 5:34 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • An ornate bridge over the Schuylkill River casts deep shadows while the rising sun illuminates the glass walls of the Cira Center.

    Cira Center: July 17, 2017 6:22 a.m. - Sunrise 5:46 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

  • The tracks of the Market Frankford El are cast in purple shadow while water towers and smokestacks are silhouetted against the pale orange glow of the pre-dawn sky.

    Market Frankford El: June 28, 2017 5:36 a.m. - Sunrise 5:34 a.m. (Jonathan Wilson for Newsworks)

Early morning, an hour before and after sunrise, provides wonderful lighting opportunities. Sometimes it’s ethereal, sometimes mysterious, and often it’s inspirational.

Throughout my career as a photojournalist, I eagerly accepted early-morning assignments. No assignment was too early.

Early morning, an hour before and after sunrise, provides wonderful lighting opportunities. Sometimes it’s ethereal, sometimes mysterious, and often it’s inspirational — a promise of things to come. More often than not, this light would be one of the defining elements of my photographs.

For 15 years, I have been shooting photographs during that two-hour slice of time at the crack of dawn for a project I call “First Light.”

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

The inspiration for my “First Light” project came while I was on working on a Philadelphia Inquirer assignment about the future of Penn’s Landing.

I have always found it challenging to make dramatic images of Penn’s Landing. I tried vantage points from both sides of the river, from the Ben Franklin Bridge, from a helicopter hovering above the river. Still, I lacked a defining image.

Since the story was about the future of Penn’s Landing, I thought perhaps a sunrise would provide this missing element.

At the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing, a compass is embedded in the floor of the amphitheater. As I prepared to take my shot — crouched on the ground by the compass at sunrise — serendipitously, a jogger began crossing the frame of the viewfinder. I instantly knew I had the image I needed.

As an optimist, I have viewed my life through the lens of future possibilities, and dawn is the metaphor that matches my outlook.

Brought to you by View Finders

You may also like

About Jonathan Wilson

Read more

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal

Donate
Learn about WHYY Member benefits
Ways to Donate