Down By The River
The photo below was taken five and a half years ago at Columbia River Park, in Columbia PA. I still worked a swing shift schedule and because of that, I would get 3- and 7-day breaks. The bulk of my photography was done on those days.
I can’t remember which one of those breaks this was taken on, but I do know it was a weekday. It was late spring, almost summer. And it was in the middle of the afternoon, somewhere in the middle of the week.
When I rolled up to the park, it was completely void of people and cars. It felt like everyone was at work except me, and I loved that feeling. I parked my car, took in some of the views of the river and made my way towards this spot where I took the photo.
There was nothing special about that day, nothing to make the bridge or sky look more interesting – it was just quiet, the only sound coming from the cars racing across the bridge above and a slight breeze. And then I saw the woman and young man. I don’t know their relation; I didn’t talk to them or interrupt them – but there was something beautiful to me about them enjoying the silence of the afternoon. And in that moment, I realized just how lucky I was – to be able to take in the quiet and calm of being riverside while others toiled away at their jobs in some factory or office. Sure, at the end of the day, those people can enjoy this view and weather too, but they can’t enjoy it in silence. They’ll be forced to enjoy it in the company of strangers and their conversations. Cars and trucks towing boats will pile in and crowd the parking lot, kids will be screaming and laughing, parents will be yelling, someone will have a Bluetooth speaker blasting, and even as the sun sets, bathing the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in orange, and couples hold each other close, and families spend valuable time with each other – it will be beautiful, and if you were to photograph that, it would be visually appealing. But, to me, as beautiful as that moment may be, it wouldn’t be quiet enough to turn my brain off and enjoy the intimacy of a calm breeze on a spring afternoon without anybody else around.
I know this photo isn’t special or visually appealing; it may not evoke any emotion from the viewer, and it certainly wouldn’t win any contests; hell - it never even made it into my favorites of 2021. But years later, I still find myself coming back to it because it allows me to remember that I have enjoyed the luxury of peace and quiet, down by the river on a spring afternoon.
I no longer work a swing shift schedule. I work a straight 40 hours with no OT, 730am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. My schedule sounds perfect – but there is one flaw. I have to wait until 4pm and the weekends to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. It’s no longer easy for me to just go down by the river and take in the views in silence, to listen to the water lap along the shoreline, to hear a bird rustle the branches of a tree as it lands, to walk through a space designed for people and families to commune and get lost in the quiet.
Yes – we should all have a place to enjoy nature, and I would never want to live in a world where we don’t all have that opportunity. But there is something to be said about enjoying these spaces alone or with minimal people.
I worked that schedule for around 9 years and took the opportunity many times. I have more photos like this, but for some reason, this one consistently takes me back. It allows me to relive a moment in time where I had nowhere to be, no deadlines to meet, no external stress pressuring me to speed things up – my only objective was to be in the moment. And maybe that’s what I’m actually remembering, maybe that’s what I miss and am able to relive when I see this photo – not just the quiet, but the ability to slow down and just be.
As I put the finishing touches on this post, I can hear the rain outside. It’s interesting, all the different sounds it makes. There’s the soft tap as it falls against my window; the tin thud as it hits my neighbor’s AC unit; and the heavy smacks as it splashes into the puddles on the ground. It’s interesting and it’s peaceful. I’m going to end this post here and take a few minutes to enjoy the sound of the rain. If you’re reading this, try to remember to slow down and be in the moment.
Columbia River Park, Columbia PA - Matt Santana, Spring 2021