Peering at the online weather forecast last night, I see that the stylised crescent moon that depicts clear skies over my area on the map features from the early hours onwards, so I make plans to get up early and see if I can get any good sunrise images.
I am awake at 5 am (although this was not part of the plan), but resign myself to that fact and start preparing my kit for the shoot. Just before I leave the house at 7 am it occurs to me that it might be wise to check the conditions myself by actually going into the garden to look. Sure enough it was the right thing to do, because instead of the crystal-clear sky I expected, I have cloud. And quite a bit of it to boot. I make the snap decision to ditch the super-telephoto lens I had intended to use, and pack a wide angle instead. Then I'm on my bike and riding into the gathering dawn.
When I arrive on the beach it is worse that I thought: cloud all the way down to the horizon, but I decide to at least wait for sunrise itself - which today occurred at 8 am - before throwing in the towel. There were two other photographers nearby, similarly disappointed with the Met Office and what was promised, and both withdrew as a result before the sun had even broken the horizon. The thing is, you have to give yourself a chance. Leaving before the event itself means you severely limit your chances to nil.
Undeterred, I find myself a quiet spot by the water's edge; set up my tripod; and wait. There is nothing spectacular happening at sunrise itself, but 30 minutes into the event I am at least getting something worth firing the shutter for (above).
12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/60 second at f/11. + 1 stop EV compensation. Tripod and remote release. ISO 200
© 2014
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