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The Weather and Photography at Sunrise

I know that those who know me also know that I am an early bird when it comes to mornings, and I love nothing better than being out and about with my cameras at sunrise, or even long before sunrise.

The hour just after sunrise is regarded by photographers as having the most desirable light for photography. This is characterized by horizontal light that casts long shadows and gives your subjects a warm glow.

Sunrises make for exciting and highly varied lighting, primarily because these are heavily influence by subtleties in the weather.
Clouds are rendered using sunlight which reflects off them from underneath, as opposed to sunlight which has diffused through them from above, potentially causing the sky to light up with a soft, warm light.

Sunrises are often spectacularly vibrant in person, but this isn't always translated well into an image, so if your out shooting photos at sunrise, make sure that your camera's auto white balance doesn't counteract an otherwise warm-looking scene, or that the color saturation isn't overly conservative to minimize the risk of color clipping.

Ironically, when the lighting is most dramatic is also when your camera is most likely to make an error with its exposure, so take several photos, or possibly try using spot metering if your camera has this capability.

So check out some likely looking places near where you live, for what potentially will give you some dramatic photos shot at sunrise.
If nothing else, watching the dawn break, and the sun paint the beginnings of the new day will make you feel more alive that you could possibly imagine.

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