Onegav

Last night I set my alarm for 5:44am, so I could catch the first hour of the sunrise from the top of Frodsham Hill.

This morning my alarm sounded, and I did as everyone does on a day off, I hit snooze………. Thankfully my eldest daughter Livvy came into our room at 6am, which woke me and Holly up, and Holly reminded me of my morning mission!

I jumped out of bed, threw on the clothes nearest to me, grabbed my camera gear and some car keys and dashed out of the house – it was now a race against time I felt……..

As I drove up the twisting and turning lanes to the top of the hill, I caught glimpses of the rising sun in my mirrors, drove through the hanging morning mist, and the glow all around me looked stunning. I dearly hopped I hadn’t missed the best of the light. I have to admit, my heart was pumping, and my head was a mix if excitement and that “just woken up” haze.

As you can see though, once I’d parked, then sprinted the rest of the way on foot, and had a quick look around at the top, I captured some images.

I used exposure bracketing and a focal length of 18mm to start with, then switched to my long lens to get some compression, and really layer up some shots.

Looking at the shots on my laptop when I got home, I was rally pleased with what I’d captured, especially the mist, and the light blooming from the sun, and of course the detail I’m always chasing!

I actually had a really tough time choosing my favourite to use for todays 365 image, and so I called on some help; Livvy picked the one she liked the best for me, which is the one you see at the top of this post.

Using my long lens enabled me to really focus in on some of the intesting details in the sleeping town below me, shrouded in the morning mist, lit by the really warm glow of the rising sun.

The shot above is of the viaduct over the river, and the old steam boat firing up its boiler, hidden just behind some trees. I really love the layering in these images.

I also had a go at photographing the church from this interesting angle, and although the mist was clearing at this point and the light changing, its a cool and intersting perspective.

Learnings – The best light is at sunrise and sunset, thats no surprise and I know that from my fishing trips. The light at those times is often incredible, and the quietness and stillness of the whole wrold at those times really adds to that vibe.

Exposure bracketing and using aperture settings that suited my lenses was key to getting the sharpness in the detail I wanted. I did take a couple of shots with my 50mm prime lens at the end too, but it wasnt quite right for the moment; right tools for the job I guess.

Wonderful way to start the day!