Sunrise

The problem with pursuing photography is that there are just two golden hours in a day and I mostly work through one of them.  So this weekend, a friend and I went to Changi Beach to see if we could capture the first one.  

Having had a couple of early morning photo shoots with Rebecca, I know what to expect when I'm taking pictures of people, but I've never taken actual sunrise pictures before and my brother absconded to Sapporo with the filter, so I wasn't sure how it would go.  

But it was lovely taking pictures at my own speed with the briny sea breeze lifting my shirt and buffeting round my face and I'm even quite happy with some of the shots.  I followed the sun as it climbed up through the clouds and worked on practising exposure but, like a dolt that can't multitask, I had some issues keeping the horizon level.

I loved how the sun reflected off the waves in rippling crescents and how the water seemed at times to climb over itself, making frothy shelves.

I also wanted to capture how dark and atmospheric it was, and how the waves scrumbled like chalk, all crunchy and defined, so I spent a good deal of time on my haunches in the sand, playing with the shutter speed.  At the peak of every wave, I would hold the shutter and my breath and wait for it to plunge downward like an arc of ice, smooth and glassy.

It was good practice for steadiness and timing, but I think I need to go back a couple more times before I get it just right.

When the sky had lightened past the point of no return, we took a few more snaps and then headed for breakfast... and it was only eight thirty!  I felt calm, fresh, at peace.

I never thought I would say this, but the older I get, the more of a morning lark I become.  

"Why do we bother with the rest of the day,

the swale of the afternoon,

the sudden dip into evening,

then night with his notorious perfumes,

his many-pointed stars?

This is the best—

throwing off the light covers,

feet on the cold floor,

and buzzing around the house on espresso— "

                                                                              -- Billy Collins

Why, indeed!