Fwd: [Postcards from Manila] #330 Stalking First Light

[Bobby Wong Jr.]

As is our tradition when the current year rolls to an end, we went forth to stalk our last sunrise of the year, in a place we've never been. We wanted to be around a body of water to multiply dawn's reflections. Check. We wanted to shoot into the horizon perpedicular to first light, an ingredient for  dramatic landscapes. Check. And it needed to be no more than an hour away, so we don't have to wake up to early! After all, who knows if it'll be worth our while?

In truth, any talk of a trip's worth had never been an issue. To be out at dawn, throwing our lot into the wind, for the privelege of stalking twilight with equal parts of trepidation and hope, has been the hallmark of every twilight photographer's craft. And we normally do just fine.

Similarly, as the current year comes to a close, we look forward to the new one with the same courage and resolve as we did the last. No matter the uncertainty the future brings, take heart that we will do just fine. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Landscape twilight photography isn't only about experience and skill. A lot has to do with sheer luck. I saw this lone tree around a bend, silhouetted against a rapidly developing purplish sky. I knelt and took a few shots, but thought it wasn't a consummate composition. I needed a human element. Then suddenly and as if on cue, a fisherman started to row his way across my composition. Just as in life, things do turn out just fine.)

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Posted By Blogger to Postcards from Manila at 12/29/2016 05:17:00 PM