Chasing the first morning light
I set the alarm for 4:40. The ridge above the valley is a thirty minute walk if you do not stop, and I always stop, so give it forty-five. In the dark it is mostly a matter of trusting your feet and the pale line of the path.
The reward is a narrow window — maybe twenty minutes — when the first light comes in low and soft and everything looks like it has been dusted with gold. I made a handful of frames and then just stood there until the sun cleared the far hills and the magic flattened out into an ordinary bright morning.
A thermos of coffee helps. So does resisting the urge to check whether the photos are any good until you are back home.
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