4am
I’ve been inspired lately by Mike Stacey, flux and Teiko’s photos and while on a trip to Australia I thought I’d have a shot at doing a sunrise. Woke at 4am, which was a bit early but once I was up I thought it best to stay awake.
Ended up leaving a bit late and arrived at Monavale beach just in time to see some colour in the sky. I wasn’t sure what I’d have to shoot at (ISO) so I brought everything. Hasselblad with the Distagon 50mm, Planar 80mm and Sonar 150mm, a load of Kodak epp, GP and a bit of Provia 400x, my Canon 1D mark 3 with a 35mm prime, the Horizon 35mm panoramic camera and my light meter. My bag was brimming with gear.
Worried that I’d meter incorrectly, I used my Canon as a meter, which, in hindsight was a good idea.
The sky was amazing. Basically exactly like it is in the picture. After being away from Australia for so long I couldn’t understand why the beach was not full of people. Instead, to my complete joy, there was almost no one there. One swimmer in the pool, a few joggers on the beach…the atmosphere was fantastic. Just the sound of crashing waves and this amazing sky that was changing by the minute.
Going out on the rocks (near where the pole in the photo is) was my biggest worry. I wore my shoes, worried that I’d slip with 2 camera’s and a bag full of lenses which was a bit of a mistake. Ended up having to trash the shoes. During the shoot I discovered the tide coming in which made for some seriously wet jeans and a slightly wet camera bag but no real damage done.
Managed to take 11 rolls while I was out before it got too light.
And to finish off the morning I found a great cafe close by serving excellent lattes, muffins and fresh fruit and yogurt.
If you have a chance to go to Sydney I highly recommend shooting a beach sunrise. But do yourself a favor and make sure you know a great cafe near by for after. It’s the only way to finish off a morning.