Most people would associate the term “ambience” with an indoor space or man-made environment, but I’d argue that nature can have some pretty spectacular ambience, too – such as this morning’s sunrise that lit the harbour with golden light. It almost looks warm, doesn’t it? But the temperature was just below freezing.
I couldn’t make out the name on this sailboat until after I got home and zoomed the image on my computer. It read “Outnumbered”, an unusual name for a boat, I thought — perhaps coined by a parent with numerous family members of the opposite sex?
A beautifully calm, clear spring morning just before sunrise on Pender Island.
While driving to the beach Saturday morning, I saw the rising sun skimming across this field and had to pull over to get a shot.
I was lucky to catch a few moments of yesterday’s rising sun before it disappeared behind the clouds. The wind was chilly but the waves were perfect — lively enough to make things interesting, but not so wild that they sprayed my camera (or me).
I finally bought myself a cheap wired shutter release (the Vello RS-C1II for those who are curious) and this beach outing was the perfect opportunity to try it out. It worked without a hitch and made it so much easier to capture a wave or water-trail shot than using my camera’s self-timer.
The past few days have been dull and wet, with the forecast showing no relief in sight. As an antidote to this gloomy weather I am posting this picture of a sunrise at Medicine Beach, Pender Island, taken just over a week ago.
I love catching those brief few minutes of swirling mist just after sunrise. I haven’t been able to predict when a mist like this is going to happen, though. Some mornings it’s there, others there’s nothing. But then, half the fun of photography is heading out with your camera, not knowing what you’re going to find.
A couple of days before Christmas, the pup and I went out to Hamilton Beach, a beautiful stretch of shoreline here on Pender Island. On this particular morning the combination of cold air and warmer water was creating great clouds of mist which looked very dramatic when lit up by the rising sun.
It was one of those times that made me glad I’d decided to get up and out the door early. I really should do it more often! It’s always such a pleasure to come home and review a new batch of photos over breakfast and a hot cup of tea.
Here’s a vertical rendition of the scene. Usually I have a strong preference for one version over another, but in this case I couldn’t decide. My daughter prefers the horizontal orientation. What do you think?
A crisp Sunday morning at Medicine Beach, Pender Island. The tide was very high and had swamped the beach, so there was no place to walk. These four shots were all taken from the beach access point, within a few metres of each other.
Pender Island beach sunrise
Calm waters at Craddock Beach shortly after sunrise.
