brendanwilliams

Morning Light

After waking up to to fog so thick you could hardly see 10 feet in front of you, the clouds began to break up and treated us to an exceptional unexpected sunris...
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After waking up to to fog so thick you could hardly see 10 feet in front of you, the clouds began to break up and treated us to an exceptional unexpected sunrise in the mountains.
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Canon EOS 60D

settings

Aperture f/7.1 ISO 160 Shutter 1/400 Focal Length 12/1

upload_date

May, 2016

Views

2465

Likes

+590

Awards

Contest Finalist in Life And Freedom Photo Contest

Featured

Runner Up in Openness Photo Contest

Peer Award

+164

Superb Composition

+73

Top Choice

+35

Absolute Masterpiece

+30

Outstanding Creativity

+17

All Star

Superior Skill

Magnificent Capture

Virtuoso

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at Elfin Lakes in Squamish, BC. It's a super spectacular place.

Time

This was taken at around 8am on a morning in November. There was quite a few of us photographers up there for the sunrise so many of us were up well before the sun was expected to come up that morning. Unfortunately there was heavy heavy fog surrounding us and you could hardly see the trees just a few dozen feet ahead of us. We were a bit discouraged but decided that since we were up that we might as well go try to get some photos out there in the fog. After about 45 minutes of playing in the snow and taking photos there was a small break in the clouds that we all marvelled over. Over the next hour or so it began to get larger and larger until the mountains around us came into full view and the entire sky lit up with colour. This was a sunrise so completely unexpected and so miraculous that it still sticks in my memory as if it were yesterday. It's those moments that you least expect that create the greatest memories and sometimes even the greatest photo of your trip.

Lighting

The beauty of sunrises like this is that the vibrant colours and light will only last a short while. I was dancing all over the mountain like a lunatic completely awestruck by my surroundings while taking photos that morning. It was important to me that I got this photo while the light was still a soft warm glow. I wanted this image to feel very tranquil.

Equipment

On this day, I only had my Canon 60D and a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 that I was shooting with.

Inspiration

I wanted to capture the feeling of this moment that we all were sharing. Although many of us were chasing after that perfect shot we still were just awestruck by what was unfolding around us. I noticed Zach, who is pictured, just taking it all in. I was walking past him as I grabbed this shot that, in my opinion, radiates the tone and feeling of what it was like to be standing there that morning. Complete calmness.

Editing

I played around with the colour temperatures a bit, particularly with the snow. I just wanted the snow and clouds to match a little bit nicer. I brightened up the brighter areas around where the sun was coming over the mountains to draw your eye toward them. I also put a radial filter on Zach, my subject, and sharpened the entire image slightly.

In my camera bag

Whenever I go on overnight backpacking trips I have to sacrifice some of my favourite lenses, filters, etc. I only brought along my Canon 60D with my sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 on this trip to spare myself from packing in more weight than I needed to.

Feedback

This is one of those classic, being in the right place at the right time, sort of photos. I have found that if I go somewhere with the thoughts of "I'm going just so I can get a good photo" it will rarely workout in my favour. I feel the best photos are more organic than that. When I say organic I mean they just come more naturally; managing to capture a real moment of something that was special to you. When a moment begins to unfold that was wasn't a part of the itinerary or predicted in the weather report, that's when the magic happens. Our job as photographers to capture those unpredicted moments of beauty.

See more amazing photos, follow brendanwilliams

brendanwilliams

brendanwilliams

Morning Light

After waking up to to fog so thick you could hardly see 10 feet in front of you, the clouds began to break up and treated us to an exceptional unexpected sunris... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow brendanwilliams

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

After waking up to to fog so thick you could hardly see 10 feet in front of you, the clouds began to break up and treated us to an exceptional unexpected sunris...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.