This morning we found this great spot at the edge of MacGregor Downs Lake.

The water was perfectly still, like a mirror, and there was just a bit of mist rising from the surface of the lake.

The only color in the sky came from a small cluster of clouds near the horizon that glowed a pinkish-orange.

There was an old bench that was sunken into the ground and was partially overcome by grass and weeds.

Good Morning from Cary, NC. We are here for the next couple of days staying with friends.

This morning I was joined by my friend Scott who recommended this location at Long Branch where we could photograph the sunrise over the lake.

We collaborated on a number of photos for almost an hour, and the best ones had some great reflections over the water.

I’m really looking forward to exploring the area down here.

I was excited to see the clouds starting to show signs of color this morning, and then I saw a fully lit cruise ship approaching. I knew it would be a great combination. I took a succession of photos as the cruise ship passed by–some zoomed in, some wide angle.

The photo you see here was the peak of the color in the clouds, which slowly faded in and out but only lasted at this intensity for a few seconds. Luckily you can still see the illuminated cruise ship, even though it looks smaller in the distance, but the clouds ended up stealing the show this morning.

It was a cloudy and somewhat hazy morning, but there was this one really interesting break in the fast-moving clouds.

I surveyed the scene, chose a shooting location, and snapped just one photo at what ended up being just the right time. I knew immediately it would be my best photo of the day, and that I could go home now.

In that way, it felt like the equivalent of a walk-off home run.

Of course I took a few more photos on my way home, but none compared to this.

The trees are trimmed and we’re bracing for colder weather. But luckily it hasn’t come quite yet. The other day I noted that it has been in the 50s each morning, but the past two days have been much more comfortable in the 60s.

There are still a lot of people outside in the mornings, so it is good to see they are not discouraged by the changing temperatures. Not yet at least.

The sun is rising around 7am these days, which means that most people are able to see the sunrise each morning. If you haven’t been outside to experience watching the sunrise, now would be a good time to do it while the temperature is still tolerable.

That being said, I’m thinking about doing a sunrise meetup sometime next week so that anyone who wants to can come hang out with me and watch and/or photograph the sunrise. Stay tuned for details.