The Subject of Sunrises

Dawn and dusk are every photographers favorite time of day. They were my favorite long before I got into photography though; there is a certain feeling at those times that make me long for adventure, new beginnings, and accomplishment. These pictures are from the same trip to Utah Lake and do a great job of showing how I photograph sunrises.

To our eyes looking at the entire sunrise is a beautiful thing, but thats really only because our mind can put together all the little pictures and process them simultaneously. In a single photo its hard to express the entirety of a scene, but besides,  I find it much more interesting to photograph the detail that drew in your eye in the first place.   Maybe it was just because it was so early, but this picture was full of fantasy for me. The log made me think of a lurking alligator, and the hole in the ice made me check my surroundings for any hungry dinosaurs... perhaps a little over the top, but imagining helps me create more creative and interesting pictures. 

These two pictures are a great example of knowing what you want to photograph. At first I was sure it was those three sticks in the ice that captured my attention. The sticks were indeed interesting and made a great photograph. The unique shades of blue are my favorite and really bring back memories of how cold it was that day. 

First impressions are good, but while waiting for my camera to take the picture (recall that its still pretty dark, so its open for 10-15 seconds)  I noticed that what I really liked about the scene was the first light of the day glowing in the reeds. Moving my camera up an inch or two changed the exposure and caught that light. It also added composition to my shot by showing more sky: 2/3 water, 1/3 sky or vice versa helps avoid a dull picture with too much of the same subject.   This pair reminded me that there is always more than one right answer.

The immortal black and white photographer Ansel Adams once commented saying "I don't photograph landscapes, I photograph weather."  Adams created some of the most breathtaking scenes in existence, and he seems to imply that he did it with the help of the weather. In this last picture I am drawn by the lines that the clouds paint.  The straight wisps seem to lead, and with the reflection even point to, the sun. Mostly I got lucky, but using lines to lead the subject is a great way to focus your photograph. Besides, getting lucky is what photography is all about; granted, the harder you work the luckier you get... but still... :)