Sunrise – Different Isn't Wrong, It's Just Different

Sunrise and sunset photos of the Sonoran Desert from earlier this week on the same day are in the gallery below (you can click on each photo to see a larger version). The sky was full of clouds before sunrise and I wasn’t sure there would be any color or if the sun would be able to peak through. Watching the sky in all directions and looking for compositions, there was a touch of pink in the clouds to my right as I waited along the trail. Just a few minutes later the sun was barely peeking through the clouds and I was able to make an image with a sunburst. After making a few images it was time to head home and have breakfast. Once back to the trailhead it started to lightly rain and the sun was barely peaking through the clouds. There was a faint rainbow, but it was so quick I wasn’t able to make an image.

Later in the day my husband and I went for a hike just before sunset in the same area I had been for sunrise. We had Molly with us and kept her close as this time of day the coyotes are out looking for food. A pack of coyotes started howling much earlier than usual and we were immediately on guard. Molly was quite interested in all of the howling. We continued our hike and kept a vigilant eye for the pack. As a pack sometimes does, they sent one closer and it barked like a dog instead of howled attempting to engage Molly in “play”. Once engaged, they lure the dog back to the pack and then attack the dog. Again, Molly perked her ears and was looking to see where this bark was coming from. Still, we weren’t able to see the coyote. Fortunately, Molly kept quiet and we continued along the trail even more on guard. Once we went around a curve, the coyotes stopped howling and didn’t come closer. As much as Molly enjoys hiking with us, it’s not safe for her in this location and this was her last hike.

As we were hiking around the mountain we came to a part of the trail that was curvy and a hot air balloon was flying in the distance. My husband saw the scene first and I quickly set up for a shot. Sometimes you just get lucky! We watched sunset from atop the mountain and looking north towards the town of Cave Creek the sky was full of pink and blue clouds. We hiked back to our car in the dark, but I had my headlamp and a small flashlight and the moon was about half full and shining. Such a different feel between sunrise and sunset even on the same day along the same trail in the Sonoran Desert.

sunrise in the sonoran desert cholla pink sky

Hot Air Balloon Above The Desert in Arizona

An early wake up this morning for sunrise photography at Tempe Town Lake paid off! My alarm went off at 5:30 this morning and I considered turning it off and going back to sleep. Within a few minutes I heard my coffee pot starting to brew, as I had set it last night to automatically start this morning, and decided to stick to my plan. Leaving my house early to get to the lake before sunrise, the sky was still dark and I couldn’t tell if there were any clouds. As I was driving, my mind started visualizing different compositions for a cloudless sunrise.

Mill Avenue Bridge at sunset with Hayden Mill in the background – click on the image in the gallery below for a larger version

Arriving at the lake much earlier than necessary, I chose to sit in my vehicle for a while as it was chilly this morning. I was dressed for the early morning temperatures, which are in the low to mid 40’s here in the desert, with my fleece jacket and even gloves. The shot I had originally visualized is no longer to be made. A new structure is being built and now blocks part of Hayden Mill. This shot taken in the summer of 2013 at sunset is one of my favorite urban landscape images. I was hoping to get a sunrise shot with a similar composition. But no such luck as not only is a new structure being built, but a very large crane is also a distraction.

tempe-town-lake-sunrise-4241 — Sunrise at Tempe Town Lake – click on the image in the gallery below for a larger version

However, to the southeast the most gorgeous orange color was starting to show. Quickly changing locations and using five large cranes as well as new buildings going up for my composition, I decided to make this urban sunrise shot. The lake was still and the reflection was amazing. As I was shooting with my 50 mm 1.8 lens, compositions were limited. At one point I wished my lens was a zoom to about 200 mm as a guy rowing passed right through the brightest part of the orange reflection and would have made a gorgeous silhouette image!

tempe-town-lake-abstract-sunrise-4256 — Abstract image of sunrise at Tempe Town Lake – click on the image in the gallery below for a larger version

As the color was becoming less prominent, I decided to walk along the lake and scout potential sunset shots that would be different from other images I have made at the lake. When shooting water I like to make abstract images of reflections. This image was certainly not one I had visualized, but a great surprise as I was wandering along the shore.

It was now time to enjoy the coffee that was waiting for me in my vehicle. The stainless steel cup kept the coffee hot enough to warm me up even though it had been in my cold car for over an hour. My sunrise photography shoot at Tempe Town Lake with a surprise reflection image was over, but I wasn’t done shooting and was rewarded with another unexpected image, which I’ll show in a future post.

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