Early Morning Along the Saint Lawrence
This image was taken before sunrise along a creek near the Saint Lawrence River in early fall.
For me, the biggest challenge in getting a good sunrise image is giving in to my alarm clock. The best sunrise photos come well before sunrise, so to make it worth the trip you need to get going early! I have learned the hard way that if you are setting up your tripod just as the sun comes up, you have already missed the best shots.
This shot was taken around 30 minutes before sunrise in early October. It was a cold autumn morning at a creek near the Saint Lawrence River. I arrived at this location, which I had been to on a prior trip to the area, and had plenty of time to get my camera set up and look for some compositions. My previous trip had been in a different season, so the sun wasn’t coming up in quite the same spot, so I made some adjustments. On this occasion I was rewarded with fog over the water. Just a little bit at first, but as sunrise approached it started to get a little thicker.
This is one of my favorite places. Not this physical spot. But being alone with my thoughts watching the sun come up on a cold morning, and letting myself be absorbed in the process of looking for frames to capture. The time moving forward slowly, the light changing, the fog getting thicker. I get lost in my thoughts, watching it unfold, and capturing the moments as they unfold.
Soon the sun comes up. I put away my camera, fold up my tripod, and leave. Refreshed. At this point, I know I have a few images to share. Mother Nature put on a show today, and I had a front row seat. I can share the view from the photos I took. What I can’t share is the feeling of the cold crisp air, the smell of fall, and the silence. That was for me.
It’s a challenge dragging myself out at this hour most mornings, but it’s always worth it.
This image was taken with a Fujifilm XT-5 with the XF16-80 on a Vanguard VEO tripod. Shutter speed was around 8 seconds, aperture f8, ISO 125. I’ll be posting more photos from this trip on my website, https://www.rsimmons.com.
