Breaking Through the Clouds
I’ve never been a morning person, anyone whos known me can tell you that simple fact. I just don’t like it. Because of this simple fact, I don’t often go out for sunrise photos, but today I was different. I felt the need to go and capture those morning rays, had been planning to in fact. At the last minute I tried to talk myself out of it, just lay down, get some rest. Maybe tomorrow I would tell myself. Sometimes, as a photographer you have to fight against your nature to get the shot. Sunrise and I don’t often get along, the light changes faster, or it seems as though it does to me. None of that matters once you’re on the scene watching the sky brighten, watching the sun peak through the clouds, those first rays of morning light, all those past worries wash away and you’re once again in your element.
Photography is a strange animal, one minute you’re making excuses to stay home, “I’ll just go out tomorrow”. How do you know tomorrow will be better, or the same? It wont be, and that’s the point. Every day, every hour, minute and second is all different. Where you choose to be during that time is entirely up to you, but if you’re a photographer, where you need to be is in the field, because you’ll miss something grand. I’m guilty of staying home during the only good light in a month, we all are if we’re honest. Maybe not always, but sometimes.
How do you get past that? That urge to stay indoors and find the right excuse for why you’re not out shooting today? For me it’s remembering the words of a man I met while waiting for a storm to roll through “You never know unless you get out there and try”. He’s right, the weather may be awful when you leave your home, but by the time you’re on location you may have perfect atmosphere for a setting you didn’t count on. The weather in the mountains I call home changes on a dime, and that’s what makes photography here special. Sometimes there’s unrelenting haze, but sometimes, even in the worst parts of the year you find simple gems to keep you engaged. Close and personnel landscapes, waterfalls and more. You never know what’s out there until you get out there and explore for yourself.
ISO: 160
Aperture: f11
SS: 1/60
Focal: 74mm
