a change in the weather

One of the most important things I learned about photographing sunrises and sunsets was to pay attention to the weather. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s more than just “today will be rainy” or “tomorrow will be sunny”. It’s more about the movement of fronts into and out of an area. It seems that whenever the weather changes drastically, when a cold snap occurs or a warm front moves in, the sky responds with some amazing clouds. And nothing makes a drab sunrise more interesting than the shifting shapes and trails of clouds across the sky.

Of course, there’s only so many photos of a sunrise you can look at before you think, “yeah, yeah, same old thing” but I think it’s fascinating that these images below were all taken in the same day in the space of one hour. You can track the progress of the sun rising and the clouds blowing quickly across the sky. Each moment was different and unique and held an opportunity for a photograph. The life lesson here is that weather, like many opportunities, blow across our paths very quickly. We must pay attention to our surroundings, waiting for the weather to change. And then we have to seize the moment, which will likely never be repeated, or miss the chance altogether.

before the sun rose



As the sun was rising



the sun begins its ascent into the clouds








the sun hides, but look at this light!

look at the God rays - amazing!

now the sun is up, but the photo opps aren't over!