Capturing the Fingerprints of Nature

4:15am

As the alarm goes off I briefly question my life choices. Shooting sunrise is not a light undertaking, the process beginning when the rest of the world is still asleep.

When it comes to choosing a location for sunrise there are a number of factors I like to take into account, accessibility being very high on the list! There was a recent morning here in Maui when I was a bit too ambitious, considering I’m still learning the layout of the island. I assumed a particular vantage point was a lot easier to reach than it was… Needless to say I stayed on ground level that day slightly humbled.

5:20am blue hour

The sky begins to turn a soft shade of blue, moving away from that very dark time before dawn. Typically I have a fair amount of nervous anticipation because this is really early to voluntarily get out of bed when I have no idea if it will be worthwhile. Well ok.. from a meta standpoint it is always worthwhile to get out of bed but I digress. Camera is positioned and ready to catch that first glimmer of a brand new day.

Set for long exposure—check!

Gradient filter to soften the morning rays (necessary)—check!

The right song, which, on this day is “The Cloud Room”. And now I wait….

4:15pm

In the category of things I did not think about when I first started with photography: becoming a pseudo meteorologist. It makes sense as light and elements are your bread and butter. At the antithesis of sunrise here I am again staring up at the sky, partially realizing how small I am in comparison to the world (because how could you not go down that rabbit hole) and partially observing the cloud and wind patterns.

5:20pm golden hour

While similar steps are taken, chasing sunset is somewhat more forgiving. For one… I am already awake! I perform my gear check and choose shuffle for the music choice: Spottieottiedopalicious by Outkast. With a serious head bop going it is time to watch the magic unfold. Shades and hues that are so difficult to truly do justice to: a fiery orange, a soft pink, a surprising purple. The sky truly just erupts!

6:00 am/6:00pm - CLICK!

I fondly refer to sunrises and sunsets as the fingerprints of nature because each is as unique and individual as that day—

An impermanent moment, captured.