I took this photograph a couple of years ago on a trip to St. George Island. I had been expecting to have numerous opportunities to photograph sunrises on the beach, but the morning weather just had not been very cooperative. For three straight days, I would awake to a gray, overcast sky. The clouds always gave way to clear blue skies about an hour later. Of course, by then, the sunrise was over. Given this unfortunate pattern, I was coming to the realization that I might not get any sunrise photographs before I left to go home.
On the third evening we were there, I was walking along the beach with my wife and dog when we came across this catamaran that was sitting on the beach. I thought it would make an interesting foreground subject with the water, clouds, and sunrise in the background. Given what the mornings had produced so far, though, I wasn’t overly optimistic that I would have much success, but I decided to just wait and see what happened.
When I woke up the next morning, I saw a thick bank of clouds had formed low on the horizon. But, above that, was a mixture of clouds and clear sky; things were definitely looking very promising. I got dressed quickly, gathered my equipment, and headed out the door toward the catamaran.
The boat wasn’t very far from where we were staying…maybe a quarter mile or so. But when you’re trying to walk quickly on sand while carrying a backpack holding about twenty pounds of camera equipment, it can feel much, much farther than it really is, especially when time is of the essence as it always is at sunrise.
The rising sun was still hidden behind the low cloud bank, but the higher clouds were beginning to take on a very vibrant glow. I knew I didn’t have much time, so I quickly set up my tripod and camera and began taking shots from various angles using different lenses. I was able to capture several images that I liked, but this one was, by far, my favorite.