Staring at a group of monitors all week combined with hour after hour of meetings? It makes for a tired mind. The past couple of weeks have been just that, with no end in sight. I need to get out, remove myself from that faint blue glow and windowless office. The time is here to actually do what I keep telling myself I should do. Get up early and go photograph something. It is time to do some sunrise scouting.
Forgotten Habits
I have mentioned my old habit of getting up early and finding something, anything, to photograph at sunrise. With sunrise coming later each day, it is a lot easier to get up at a reasonable time and be ready for nature’s presentation. Having my son’s buy-in to join me makes it even easier. Creativity, like misery, loves company. We do not have a real plan, but we do have a destination. As I get prepared to leave, the ideas start to flow.
Sunrise Is Not Always Sunny
I went out with visions of capturing some dreamy, silky water long exposures with my favorite vintage lens. I immediately realized that I had made a silly mistake. In the fog of an early morning brain, it never occurred to me that I did not have a proper step-up ring for the filters needed to pull off my vision. I won’t be scouting too far for a fix as I already have a favored solution. Unfortunately, knowledge of where to get what I need doesn’t help when I am already in the field.
Successful Scouting Adventure
Despite my brain failing me, the scouting went well. After a bit of time at a favorite location, we went to a spot I had not seen in years. Sunrise is always a good time for waterfowl viewing. In an easy thirty minutes, we had stunning views of egrets, mallards, teals, and more. The light was not ideal for bird photography, but they were patient with our intrusion. It was a fun adventure that yielded decent results. My son and I will definitely be doing more sunrise scouting. I will be sharing more photographs from this particular adventure next time.
