It’s true. I’ve photographed this scene in many combinations over the years. Beach…sky…a lonely piece of ocean…the vacated shore with a lovely reddish tinge. How many photographs are there? Is there a point when the image is no longer a challenge?
For me, there’s no simple answer. Sometimes the photograph isn’t in the cards. Other times it’s like you never saw any of it before.
I get up before the dawn, and this habit of early rising comes with drawbacks for sure. On the other hand, these dark mornings will find me in my workroom. That can be good because there’s a window there with a view to the east. This is where I watch the sky while sipping from my mug. That’s the routine; that’s where my day began earlier this week about an hour before taking this picture.
As you may have heard, many photographs begin in a darkened room.
The drive to the beach took about ten or twelve minutes. I needed headlights but the night was melting away. By the time I turned into Sagaponack, the sky was injected with color. The sun hadn’t risen but that was good because it meant the timing was right.
As I drove past the store I was trying my best to slow down but it was difficult because adrenaline was flowing. The game of chasing photographs is a strange one; the creative process is readying itself but there’s also a consciousness of prosaic details.
On this morning the rules were simple: I needed to get to the beach before the sun came up and my camera had to be ready to work.
Surprisingly, the beach was deserted (even in February, a bit unusual). Sand had blown into the edges of the parking lot–a surefire way to tell it’s off-season. Heading up the path between the dunes I could sense that a warm day was enroute. All around me– the ingredients that would soon become the elements of my picture.
Dawn:
Out on the ocean, the sun nudged itself to the surface. Two gulls flew down to the shore and the breeze faded. After a moment, the sun became airborne and Sagg Main exploded into a winter color bath.
It’s true that I’d seen this all before but I took some photographs with refreshed confidence that nothing ever really happens twice.
Thanks for inviting me in on that race to capture the light.
What are the drawbacks to rising early?
Too much coffee.