The sun was so low at 3:15 in the afternoon last Friday that I cast a really long shadow as I wandered the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge with my camera and telephoto zoom lens attached to a monopod. This is my favorite type of selfie, a genre of photos that I do not feel compelled to share daily, unlike several of my younger friends.
Happy Solstice Day! Astronomically speaking, today marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and of summer in the southern hemisphere. In the north, it is the shortest day and the longest night of the year while in the south it is the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Time moves slowly at this time of the year—the time of sunrise doesn’t change much over the next month, but gradually the time of sunset gets a tiny bit later.
I look forward to days when I see long shadows, for it means the sun is shining. For much of winter the sky is grey here, so moments of light are a welcome reprieve.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Happy Solstice day, Mike! I have several photos of myself this way, too! Merry Christmas, too.
Like this solstice selfie.
What a great visual effect, Mike! The tall version of you set against the long dirt track with wheel mark edges. Though your height’s exaggerated, the length of the lane keeps you in perspective. I find that very interesting!
Thanks, Liz. The angle at which I took the photo added to the sense of distortion. I looks like the road is going uphill, but in fact it is quite flat. In case you are curious, I took the photo with the widest possible setting on my iPhone.