Toward the end of May the weather in New Jersey usually begins to transition from spring-like weather to more of a warmer summer sort of temperature. In late May, the swans have usually hatched their newborn and the family of swans are found in all corners of the lake. It’s during this time that the birds are nurturing and protecting their new swans by floating in amongst the isolated sections of the lake where overgrowth can protect them. The spots are usually hidden away from sight and not necessarily seen from the shore itself. I was out in my rowboat early in the evening when the light was rapidly fading. I hadn’t photographed the swans at all in the spring successfully and really hadn’t expected to come upon a scene such as I found. As I worked my way along a narrow secluded part of the lake, I found the male swan drifting confidently nearby. As the bird drifted toward me, he suddenly turned and headed into the growing darkness of the underbrush amongst us. As he thrusted away from me I exposed the scene surely expecting the light to be so low that it wouldn’t render the image I wanted. The image was composed hand-held without a tripod! Upon developing, I almost passed over this dark, ecstatic scene for printing. I called it "Approaching Evening" because I see the bird entering into the silence of the darkness in anticipation of the rapidly approaching evening. It’s as if the viewer is being left behind and the bird is moving into the approaching darkness alone and with confidence.