![\"sheep_pass_dawn_1_130316__SM35806-Edit\"](\"http:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sheep_pass_dawn_1_130316__SM35806-Edit.jpg\" "\\"sheep_pass_dawn_1_130316__SM35806-Edit\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nIt was still dark enough that we needed out headlamps to safely get around.\u00a0 I underexposed this image by 3 stops and it still required 4 seconds at ISO 200 and f\/8 to capture it.\u00a0 I expected the final image to be mostly silhouette but in working with it I could pull out a little detail without noise.\u00a0 I always prefer detail in the shadows, even if it\u2019s very subtle.<\/p>\n
In the time between the this and the next photograph it got light enough to run around and find an interesting foreground (and I do mean \u2018run\u2019).\u00a0 As I already mentioned, Sheep Pass has some fascinating granite outcrops.\u00a0 And there was a lull in the activity in the clouds.\u00a0 I still wasn\u2019t sure if it was going to happen or not.\u00a0 But if it did I wanted to be ready.<\/p>\n
And it did. I was able to find the foreground I had envisioned so at 9 minutes before sunrise I got this image.<\/p>\n
Yes, it was happening!\u00a0 I underexposed this 1 stop to saturate the colors and darken the foreground.\u00a0 The settings were ISO 200, f\/10 at 1\/15 sec.\u00a0 There were some separation concerns with this composition.\u00a0 The branch that reached down to the right needed to be separated from the rock outcrop behind.\u00a0 And the Joshua Tree trunk needed to be separated from the trees behind it on the horizon.\u00a0 Also, the clouds at the top needed to be fully included within the frame.\u00a0 It was not difficult to do, just needed to pay attention, lower the camera and move the tripod around a little.\u00a0 As with the first shot the foreground was silhouetted but still retains detail.<\/p>\n This is what I love about mornings in Joshua Tree \u2013 spectacular sunrises like this.<\/p>\n I thought the show was over and was just standing around talking when I looked up and saw this final image.\u00a0 The color in the clouds had faded and retreated into an amazing glow on the horizon.\u00a0 The effect is subtle but the glow behind the Joshua Tree gave it a spiritual quality.<\/p>\n This image was captured just 3 minutes after the first and six minutes before sunrise.\u00a0 It is also underexposed by 1 stop with the same exposure\u00a0 settings as the previous photograph.\u00a0 Two minutes later the glow was gone.<\/p>\n Sunrise can be very difficult to photograph.\u00a0 You arrive on location while it\u2019s still dark and things happen very fast.\u00a0 The biggest challenge is to find a good composition with a compelling foreground in the dark \u2013 not an easy assignment.\u00a0 Being familiar with the area is a big advantage.<\/p>\n Besides finding a winning composition it\u2019s helpful to understand the sequence of events at sunrise.\u00a0 A prerequisite for a sunrise like the one we experienced here is clouds. But that does not guarantee success because the sunlight needs to be able to get under the clouds.\u00a0 If the sunlight can\u2019t get under the clouds they will never be able to light up.\u00a0 I think one of the conditions that makes Joshua Tree such a great place for sunrises is to the west it\u2019s close enough to the Southern California basin that it gets moisture to form the clouds.\u00a0 But as you travel east you get into more and more dessert which means the clouds end and the rising sun is not obstructed.<\/p>\n The action starts between nautical and civil twilights with most of the excitement occurring during civil twilight and just after.\u00a0 Nautical twilight begins when the sun is 10 degrees below the horizon and civil twilight, when the sun is 5 degrees below.\u00a0 In practical terms for most of the areas where I photograph, nautical twilight begins about an hour before sunrise and civil about a half hour before.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a progression of colors on the clouds as the sun approaches the horizon.\u00a0 The first colors to appear are the reds and pinks.\u00a0 The sky at this time is a beautiful baby blue and the colors can be quite exquisite.\u00a0 As with the example above, the colors start near the onset of civil twilight and intensity builds until near sunrise.<\/p>\n As the sun gets very close to the horizon the colors in the clouds will transition from pink to gold.\u00a0 And the gold color will persist as the sun raises its head above the horizon, but not for long.\u00a0 While we may have that beautiful golden hour light on Mother Earth, high above in the sky the clouds no longer have the benefit of the sunlight passing through so much atmosphere and they quickly turn to the color we are most familiar with \u2013 white.\u00a0 If you want to capture the gold in the clouds you have to be very quick about it once the sun is up.<\/p>\n The key to a great sunrise photograph is no different from any other landscape photograph \u2013 optimum exposure, appropriate sharpness, strong composition and fantastic light.<\/p>\n Underexposing will saturate the colors in the sky and silhouette the foreground.\u00a0 If you want to have more detail in the foreground then shoot HDR.\u00a0 In general focus and depth of field considerations are no different for sunrise then for any other time of day.\u00a0 But it may be more difficult to focus in the dark.<\/p>\n A strong composition is perhaps the biggest challenge at sunrise.\u00a0 Compositions are difficult to find in the dark.\u00a0 Scouting the location the day before you shoot is ideal. And programs like TPE (The Photographer\u2019s Ephemeris) are invaluable in making it possible for you to work your composition around where the sun will rise.<\/p>\n The fantastic light is at the mercy of atmospheric conditions.\u00a0 To get the great pinks and reds you must have clouds.\u00a0 But for the clouds to ignite there has to be an opening to the east so the sunlight can get underneath them.\u00a0 If you\u2019re shooting sunset the opposite is true \u2013 the opening must be to the west.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to tell if the opening is there because it may be out of sight beneath the horizon.<\/p>\n When it all comes together like it did this morning it makes getting up at 4:30 more than worth it.<\/p>\n Join the conversation.\u00a0 Please feel free to share; your experiences by leaving a comment.<\/p>\n If you found this post helpful please you can Like it, share it on Facebook or Twitter or email it to a friend.<\/p>\n Join me on an upcoming workshop.\u00a0 Click here for more details.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/h1>\n
Sunrise Light<\/h1>\n
Summing It Up<\/h1>\n
\n