Archives for February 2015

The slightly warmer temperature this morning (at least it was double digits) allowed me to go out by the water and capture a brilliant sunrise. Chunks of ice floated near the shoreline, bobbing around in the gentle waves.

This was the view at dawn this morning. Lightly falling snow obscured the view of the city skyline. It was a very peaceful scene to behold.

Whenever I post a photo like this on a cloudy morning, there are always a few people who unfollow me, especially on Instagram (@capturethesunrise). Those people don’t understand the point of what this is all about. This is about waking up early and taking a picture of the sunrise every day, no matter what. I’m doing this more for myself than for anyone else. If somebody doesn’t want to come along with me on this journey, that’s ok with me. I understand it’s not for everyone. But for those of you who are sticking with me, thank you.

One might be tempted to say that some sunrises are better than others. But when you stop to think about it, is any one really better than another? By whose standards? In reality, they are all just different, each unique in its own way. Some cover a wider spectrum of colors, while others might have colors all within a narrow range, while others might not allow you to see the sun at all, even though you know it’s there. Any day you wake up alive and the sun rises to bring its light to the world is a great day indeed.

This morning’s sunrise photo was taken by my daughter. It’s her first official photograph. She’s only five months old, so I’d say it’s a pretty good start!

I’m starting to learn the different types of sunrises and the specific characteristics of each.

Today was the type where the sky was almost entirely blanketed with clouds except for a slight opening just above the city with light shining through.  I knew immediatlely upon seeing it that this type of sunrise meant I would need to get out fast because there was a chance for a brilliant red sky that would come early and quickly fade away.

Already, I saw a red band of light starting to shine through. I rushed to get ready, but even with all the preparation in the world, it still takes a few minutes to get outside.

My heart sank when I stepped outside and saw that the red had already faded away into a pale yellow. Somewhat disappointed, and knowing there wasn’t much to photograph at the moment, I decided to walk south along the water and try to reach an area that I don’t have a chance to shoot very often. Hopefully, the colors would return at some point along my way.

I lucked out. The red sky returned, just as I was approaching this pier. The colors all seemed to play together—the red sky, the orange street lamps, the pink foot planks on the pier, and the reflection in the water. The street lamps lined up directly with the location of the rising sun, as if the sun were a continuation of those lights. I stopped immediately and set up my camera.

The way I see it, my job as a photographer is to capture the moment as closely as possible to the way it looked in real life, with the hope of evoking the same emotion I felt at that very moment. This photograph is truly a reproduction of what the scene looked and felt like this morning. I waited a little while longer, hoping that the sun would emerge above the skyline directly in line with the streetlamps. But clouds eventually swallowed the last remaining glow, and the sun would never be seen. I’m happy to say that I captured the most powerful moment of the morning.