here comes the sun and i say... it will do for now

i am still here still distracted by the digital camera and still trying to learn as much as i can. even though i haven't been posting with the frequency i once did i am still shooting fairly regularly. however it is mostly just my mothers assorted flora.

i was having trouble sleeping last night and since i was wide awake i crawled out of bed and went looking for a sunrise photo opportunity. based on all my reading you are supposed to scout locations before you attempt to shoot a sunrise but i can't imagine just wandering around without the camera and if it is with you... wouldn't you just shoot?

the first location i went too was gated and i could not get in. my back up plan was to shoot a nearby fighter plane monument. sadly the large trees and thick vegetation that surround the plane made it hard to get a good sense of the sunrise in the pictures.

the trees that surround the monument were dark, the monument itself was dark and it was just before sunrise. if i exposed the shot for the plane then i lost all of the interesting colours in the early morning sky. if i exposed for the sky the plane and trees were overexposed. the best work around in this case was to use the hdr technique that i tried earlier. in this case i would say it was more of a successful endeavour than my last hdr attempt.

the key to sunrise photography is to face east when you shoot your subject. i have a couple of problems with that the first being my directionally challenged ass has no clue when i am facing east. i also still have to find an interesting subject to marry with the early morning sun. i would also prefer a location that is reasonably close to home and somewhere that isn't too sketchy or dodgy.

but until then... enjoy!