Warm Reflections

Early one spring morning in Charleston, South Carolina I was captivated by this lamp reflection in the window of an antebellum home near White Point. There's just something about reflections that seem to always grab my attention! The warm hues of sunrise and the pink exterior really captured the mood that morning. I struggled with choosing a composition until I settled on a square format.

Before the Dawn

As I strolled the beach before dawn one spring morning I was treated to beautiful light bathing the shoreline at Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina. It always amazes me how beautiful the pre-dawn light can be! I'm very fortunate to have been born a "morning person." It's never been too difficult for me to roll out of bed to pursue a beautiful sunrise. That said, I do appreciate a siesta every once in a while! Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina is a great location to explore. There's a very beautiful beach, an historic lighthouse, wildlife and much more! I'll be leading a photo workshop in South Carolina this March for Michigan Photo Adventures and Hunting Island will definately be on our list of photo locations!

Warm Morning Glow

Getting up before dawn and exploring the always beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park in November means braving cold temps. But despite the cold air and a fresh dusting of snow, the hoodos bask in warm early morning light. It's truly amazing how red rock reacts to reflected light. The glowing effect is majestic!  

Magical Dawn

Lake of the Clouds Overlook in Porcupine Mountains State Park is one of my favorite early morning photo locations in Michigan. The iconic shot of the lake itself is almost always amazing, but sometimes the shot of the day is not where you expect it. It is always a good idea to look beyond the obvious. This shot was only possible for a brief moment as the sun broke through the cloud cover and very briefly back lit the mist and fall foliage at the edge of the cliffs. A moment after tripping the shutter the light and the shot disappeared. The "Porkies" are located in the western Upper Peninsula.

An Early Seven

Shooting sunrise in Chicago, Illinois during the summer months is darn near insane! The nights are very short…Too short! The sun rises soooo early in the morning! To catch pre-dawn light and sunrise, one must be up and out of bed just after 4am! I shot this scene very early one morning and used a long (123-second) exposure to smooth out the lake. The morning was beautiful and it's always interesting to watch the city come to life. I'm pretty sure I took a nap that afternoon!

Lake of the Clouds Dawn

The lookout at Lake of the Clouds in Porcupine Mountains State Park is one of my favorite spots to visit whenever I'm in the Michigan Upper Penunsula. It's especially magical at dawn. The anticipation on-site of a spectacular sunrise is palpable. Sometimes the magic happens and sometimes it doesn't. Whether it happens or not the experience of witnessing a dawn at a spectacular location is worth the effort. This is where a golf analogy is appropriate...In golf one good shot is enough to keep bringing you back for more...Same thing applies for sunrises (and sunsets)...If you happen to be there just once for a magical experience, you'll keep coming back for more! 

The Power of Three

When I visited Great Smoky Mointains National Park this spring I made sure to visit Cades Cove. Arriving before sunrise and waiting in line at the gate, I anticipated the early dawn light illluminating the bucolic scene at Sparks' Lane...An iconic location I have visited many times in many seasons. This time I was planning on getting a variation of photos all from the same location. I captured the standard color photo that no doubt is similar to those captured by the four dozen other photographers there that spring morning. Then I switched cameras and made an infrared exposure with my dedicated-infrared D 200 camera. The result was a very cool "color" infrared photo:

In post I converted the color infrared to black and white in Nik Silver Efex 2. The result resembles a winter scene. One scene...three very different iterations.