I don’t know if anyone can tell the difference between a sunrise and a sunset in photos. I know I can’t. I woke up one morning at around 5am. Unable to go back to sleep, I grabbed my camera to see what the world looked like during a time in which I would normally be asleep. I knew I wanted to see the sunrise. When I checked the time of the sunrise, I realized I had plenty of time to explore before the 7-something sunrise. I ended up in a neighborhood that was being absorbed by gentrification. Across from these low income apartments were McMansions that had just been built. Ironically, these apartments overlooked the interstate. I found it funny how this area was probably impacted by redlining. The very thing that made the area undesirable for the residents was now a selling point. There was certainly easy access to the interstate. These apartments have a wonderful view of the Charlotte skyline. I set up my tripod in a field behind the apartments and took some long exposure shots of the cars traveling up and down interstate 77. I became impatient with sun and began to walk back to my car. I looked at the sky and saw the different shades of orange and the blues of the sky appear. As I looked at these apartments and the huge homes towering over them, I realized the symbolism of the interstate signs and the sunrise. I realized the symbolism of the mansions and the housing projects being beside each other….temporarily. Just as the sky was going to gradually change throughout the day, so would this neighborhood. As the travelers were going in different directions and different places, so would the residents here.
Duvonne Everett