Hot streaks and slumps. Athletes all go through them from time to time, particularly baseball players and golfers. Like athletes, photographers are not immune to these circumstances either.
As photographers we’ve all had trips in the field where it seems like everything is falling in to place for us. Sunrise and sunsets are beautiful, winds are calm and we always seem to be in the right place at the right time. The opposite holds true as well. Any photographer worth their salt has spent countless hours in the field waiting for sunrises and sunsets that never materialized.
Like most athletes who are slumping, the key is to stay persistent and work through the slump. Everyday is a new day and if you keep putting yourself in a position to be successful, your persistence will pay off and your slumping ways will reverse.
I’m lucky enough to be on a streak at the moment. The conditions in Rocky Mountain National Park the last few weeks have been nothing short of spectacular. There seems to be rain showers every afternoon and evening and the additional moisture means clouds have been hanging around the peaks most mornings. Streams are still running well and the winds have been calm most of the time, a rarity for sure.
The streak continued for me as I headed up to Mills Lake in Glacier Gorge one morning last week. Typically, Mills Lake is photographed in the afternoon. In the afternoon the sun illuminates the backside of the Longs Peak and much of Glacier Gorge making it more favorable on paper at least. I’ve been planning for sometime to shoot Mills Lake in the morning when the conditions and clouds would be such that dramatic sunrise was light the sky above Glacier Gorge.
Arriving at Mills Lake I found the water smooth as glass. Fog curled over the ridge between Pagoda Mountain and The Spearhead and some hung in the valley itself. Most importantly, the clouds in the sky were looking perfect for a dramatic sunrise. A beautiful sunrise unfolded and I hiked back down from Mills Lake satisfied and still feeling the rush of the mornings sunrise.
Mornings like these make you feel blessed and when I arrived back at my truck in the parking lot, I wanted to pinch myself to make sure this was all real. A quick check on the display of my camera dispelled any chance that the morning was imagined. I’m on a good streak I thought to myself, here’s hoping that I can continue on this streak for just a little longer.
Nice! I like going to places on the opposite side (i.e. morning when it is normally a sunset shot or vice versa) of what you are ‘supposed’ to do as if you get lucky you can get glowing clouds that set everything a warm aura as you see here.
Jao,
I agree. Back in my film days I would have been wasting emulsion trying to capture images like these. Digital equipment really gives me the ability to photograph images like these where the range of light is so wide. It’s great because it opens up lots of new opportunities for me. I just have to remember to constantly be on the lookout for these new opportunities.