First Sunrise in a Long Time

Aside from one quite early morning last week to photograph trilliums, I have been reluctant to go out early. For one thing, it has all too frequently been dang cold. And don't forget about wind, rain and clouds.

But on Tuesday, I done did it, I tells ya.

I arose from slumber by 4 after almost 6 hours of sleep and was on the road before 4:30 having already quaffed one mug of coffee.

I didn't have far to go for the destination I had in mind: a small access pulloff that a farmer might use to get into his field. There were trees in the distance, and I thought I might be looking toward sunrise. I was right for once. Believe you me, it doesn't happened very often.

But oh! the biters. And guess who had forgotten his hat!

I set up the camera on the tripod, squeezed a shot or three, and dove back into the car to escape the nasties for a while. I rinsed and repeated this sequence for about a half hour. After clicking the shutter 25 times over that span, I headed back toward home. By not long after 5:15, I was drinking my second mug of java.

I am only going to post 2 photos from the time span during which a pinking arc of light emerged over the riding sun. Both photos were taken at a shutter speed of 0.6 seconds.

It felt good to get out again after a long winter and cool early spring. This is the type of photography that I like best. It's not a stunning location, but I was privileged to see the sun rise and hear the birds greet the dawn. Just this once, I will overlook the mosquitoes.

The Next Morning

I didn't plan this addition, but I went to the same spot and the sky was very different. with the low bank of clouds, there wasn't even a sunrise per se. But the low clouds look a bit like mountains, so I won't complain. I was using a longer lens and may use an even longer one next time around.

On both mornings, I was only a few feet from the road. I took in in me'ead to step into the middle of the road for a brief moment and looked back to the overpass over the highway. There were no cars, but one still doesn't wish to extend one's stay too long. If I had thought, I would have squeezed the aperture a bit more to get more of a starburst effect from the lights. Maybe next time.