Morning Flight

To see that single fighter jet on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan as the sun came up behind it was really something. Photographing it was a bit of a challenge.

When your shooting a sunrise time is of the essence, which means for best results get to your location well before sunrise and be in position ready to make your images. As photographers we don't always have the luxury to be able to do this.

Such was the case here. I'm driving along the coast and, low and behold, there's an Aircraft Carrier (either that or I was in need of some more coffee) just asking me to take its picture.

Sudden change in plans. I forget about what I had driven down to photograph and hurry to get in a position to photograph this warship as the sun came up behind it.

Easier said than done. The first problem was that it was high tide, which meant that there was little if any beach, and since getting into position meant walking a bit of a distance this meant dodging waves and jumping on rocks with equipment in tow.

This really slows you down, but it's important not to underestimate Nature and be pulled into the water. You will drown and/or lose your equipment. Be as cautious and safe as possible.

I made my way into the position that I needed to be in as quickly and safely as possible. Sunrises being what they are I had only moments to get any of the shots I had hoped for, you know the dramatic kind where the sun peeps around the silhouette of the object you're photographing.

Though the circumstances weren't perfect (I was atop several rocks trying to keep my balance with waves crashing against them) I did manage to get a few shots that I'm happy with.

What made all of this possible was the fact that I had enough practice shooting objects at sunrise to have a very good idea of the camera settings that I needed to use, and the position of the sun in relation to the object that I was going to photograph. This was a real help as I needed to concentrate on my personal safety.

And that's that...