The Color of Dawn

The Early Bird Gets The Worm...

When photographers talk about that magical morning light, let me clarify something, that magical light only exists before the sun comes up. When that warmth giving globe shows up its too late.

The first day of Thanksgiving break was an early one, no sleeping in for me, the plan was to get up, drive to East Bay, Utah Lake, and photograph the sunrise. Bundled up in all the warmest layers I could find, I stepped into the frigid cold and smiled. One can't really help but smile when they are surrounded by the beauty I saw. The mountains in every direction were perfect silhouettes, in the still morning air the leafless trees stood like statues carved by Michaelangelo, the frost protested my every step, and more profound than all else, the lake stood absolutely still, mirroring the shades of dawn on the sky.
    Needless to say, despite the cold, (so deep, I rejoiced when my hands warmed enough to feel cold again), I had a great morning. The dark forced me to use a tripod, which made my pictures so much clearer. With a tripod, and a remote, I could also use tiny apertures and long exposures to get the colors I wanted.

These are some of my very best work, so I'd like to talk about why I think they are so great. I'll touch on three things I like to see in photographs.

Mood

My favorite aspect of taking pictures is the challenge of capturing the essence of a single moment in time. One of the greatest spices of life is distinguishable moods. In this photograph for example, I find a sense of peace, the still water, the clear, but insignificant background, the splash of color center left.

My favorite flavor of mood is emotion, when I capture a frame that depicts an emotion, I feel like I've struck gold. So, for what its worth, next time you click the shutter ask what you want that picture to make you feel.

Framing

If you look carefully, I couldn't have staged a more perfectly framed picture. I love how everything is almost perfectly symetrical. the branches, the line of sticks, the rock and bush, everything has a pair.

Trying to find all the different pairs keeps the eye moving from place to place, and when you step back, and look at it all over again. The picture is like a self contained explosion of patterns. Natural framing is easy to find if you look for it, and even a partial frame, adds a lot of dimension.

Once Upon a Time

I'm a sucker for a good story, and though I'm not sure what story I want my pictures to tell, I know I want them to tell a story. Stories are something everyone has in common, because everyone has a story to share. And not just everyone, but everything. Think for  minute how many things these trees have seen. When I look at this photo, I wonder what the middle tree's story is, what happened that broke it? how does it feel next its three full fledged brothers? If a picture can tell a story, then a picture will be looked at time and time again. Because the funny thing about stories, is that stories change, just like people, lakes, trees... everything, the story of change is always a story worth telling.