THE BEAUTY OF SUNRISE
Aleksandra Gołębiowska
Photography can open one’s eyes to the beauty of nature. It helps to see what’s often invisible to others.
The most important thing in nature photography is lighting, which makes each photo different and unique. For me, the best light is at sunrise. In my opinion, it is the most beautiful time of the day, at its quietest point where I hear only the music of nature – the calming sound of waves and the singing of birds. It is at this point that the sky chooses to paint its most beautiful colours.
The timetable of my photographic morning follows this plan; I get up at least 1 hour before sunrise, since it takes me about 30 minutes to get to the location. Once there I have enough time to scan out the best potential shots, set up my camera, and wait for the sun to emerge from over the horizon. Despite the early wake-up call, such mornings give me a lot of energy.
However, sunrise photography can often feel like a lottery. It is extremely weather dependent, and whilst weather apps help somewhat, the most important things continue to be intuition and willingness. There were a lot of unsuccessful outdoor shootings but still, when I close my eyes I can see the most beautiful sunrises, and those I will never forget. To me, sunrise is like a spectacle for a chosen few and I am lucky enough to be one of them. I dare to say that light is the best painter. It turns a familiar landscape into a fairy-tale scenery.
Anyone can witness such an unusual phenomenon. Sunrise is truly magical and I really hope that everyone chooses to experience the magic at least once; after all, nature is for everyone.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 11.