Pre-dawn in Grand Place, Brussels
Before the day begins in Brussels, Belgium
When I travel, I always try and get up before sunrise to get out and shoot, if possible. It can be hard, but it is always rewarding, and I always return with images that I am happy with. Especially in a big city, those early morning hours are perfect for capturing scenes that would otherwise be completely full of people.
Today’s photo is a perfect example of this. I was up and out shooting at around 5:30am in Brussels some years back. I wandered into Grand Place, their amazing and beautiful city square, and had it essentially to myself.
Any other time of day, this place is swarming with tourists, but way before dawn it was quiet, empty and perfect!
Next stop: Oregon!
Some thoughts and photos from a late summer trip to Oregon, as well as some upcoming plans for a return visit.
We are heading back to Oregon, where we will spend the week of Thanksgiving. I’m so excited!
I have loved Oregon since my first visit, which was back in 2001. Since then, I have been probably 10 times, maybe more. Some business, some pleasure - but it’s always enjoyable, camera or not. This time, I will be taking a camera and will get some time to photograph Portland as well as along the coast a bit.
I’m really looking forward to spending some time walking the streets of Portland with my camera. Despite many visits, I’ve never really had much time to photograph the city. Then after that I will be along the coast, where I have taken a LOT of photos - and of course I will be getting more on this trip. The Oregon coastline is my favorite place in the US - it’s just so beautiful and peaceful there. Oh, and it’s photogenic too, of course.
Today’s post contains a number of shots I captured on my last visit to the Oregon coast, which was back in August of this year. I’m not sure if I will get the same vibrant and beautiful light on this trip, since I haven’t been there during this time of year before. But of course I am hopeful. And regardless, it’s beautiful even if it’s a bit drab and overcast. I will find out soon enough!
Sunset next to Haystack Rock, at Cannon Beach
This was sunrise one morning - so glad I got up!
Lovely light to end another day on Cannon Beach
Sunrise on Diamond Beach
Sunrise on Diamond Beach in Iceland, complete with flowing water and massive chunks of glacial ice. A dream come true for sure!
Diamond Beach is the famous beach in Iceland where all these chunks of ice lay about, and photographers like myself run around taking photos and screaming with excitement. Well, ok maybe I was the only one screaming, but still. It’s exciting.
We got up early one morning to make sure we were in place for sunrise, though thankfully sunrise was around 9:30am this time of year. Regardless, I was up around 6am to get dressed and fed, and we left by 7:30am or something like that. It was maybe a 30 minute drive, and when we arrived it was still relatively dark and of course we had the beach to ourselves. The exploring began.
I wandered around, taking stock of these ice chunks and trying to find a composition that I liked. While there were a lot of chunks of ice on the beach, based on the tide it was obvious that most of them would never get touched by a wave - and let’s face it, we were all going for those cool shots of water moving around these ice chunks.
So many of us ended up photographing this same huge chunk, albeit from slightly different angles. Regardless, I was very pleased to be standing there in the first place, capturing these two photos which I consider my best from that outing. Having seen so many shots from this place in the past, it was quite literally a dream come true to be standing there taking my own.
Morning on the Charles Bridge
Sunrise in Prague and I was on the Charles Bridge, firing away happily…
This morning in Prague started EARLY. I got up about 4:30am in order to get out and walk to the Charles Bridge, with plans to be in place before sunrise. Luckily, that was plenty of time and I nearly had the bridge to myself, which was exactly what I wanted. There were a few people here and there - mostly those returning from an extended night out - but otherwise it was blissfully quiet and I had some fabulous light, too. All in all, a wonderful way to start a day in Prague!
Sunrise at Trinity College
A stunning sunrise in Dublin, Ireland…
I first captured, edited and shared this photo several years ago - right after I returned home from the trip that I captured it on. It was one of those that I knew I had to edit right way, because I knew it was going to be pretty good. But sometimes I go back into the archives and edit a photo again. My intent in doing so is to come at it with fresh eyes and (hopefully) much improved photo editing skills. I generally always like my most recent edits the best, but that is probably obvious. Plus my style morphs a little over time and my tastes tend to change quite a bit as well. Regardless, that’s one of the great things about digital photography - you can go back to the well again and again and again, and come up with something different each time.
Oh yeah, this is Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Almost forgot to mention that part. :-)
Sunrise in Prague
Sunrise in Prague, and I am in their old Town Square which is nearly empty. So nice!
Gish, if Prague is not the most beautiful city in the world, I don’t know which one is. It really is quite stunning. On my visit there, I got up SOOOO EARLY one morning so I could get out and shoot the streets without all the massive tourist hoards. It worked out great, and I go a lot of great photos too. Here’s one from their Town Square that shows just how empty it really was that morning. Enjoy!
Up and out early
An early morning shot of the Austin skyline, one of my favorite views in this town…
I shot this photo yesterday morning here in Austin. I was out to scout some locations for an upcoming customer who I am touring around, and I just wanted to make sure everything here was as I expect/remember it to be. It’s all good. So of course while I was there I had to take a few shots. I mean, come on, you would too right? :-)
Before sunrise in Prague
I was up before sunrise to shoot the Charles Bridge in Prague, and I had it all to myself!
Whenever I travel, I try and make it a point to shoot at least one sunrise. This is especially true in a big, popular city, because all the beautiful and famous spots are overrun with tourists during sunset. So it can make for an interesting photo to capture a place when it is empty (or nearly so). When I was in Prague I got up at 4:30am and headed out so that I could capture the Charles Bridge without all the crowds. Success! There were only a few people there and it was pretty amazing to have this gorgeous spot all to myself!
Sunrise in Prague
Sunrise in Prague found me on the Charles Bridge, where I was nearly alone…
Prague is a gorgeous city, and the Charles Bridge is the best place to be at sunrise!
There is just so much to see and shoot in Prague. I could spend a few weeks there just wandering around and having a great time. I have even thought about doing a workshop there sometime in the future - I think that would be a lot of fun.
When I was there last year, I got up super freaking early one morning (4:30am I think) so that I could get out to the Charles Bridge for sunrise. It’s really the only time you will get to enjoy that spot in relative solitude. It’s incredibly packed during the daytime, and still pretty busy into the night. At sunrise, all the sane folks are asleep. :-)
I also did a video about creating this image. I went through a LOT of indecision on this one, unable to really pick a direction with my editing and stick with it. If you want to check that one out you can see it below:
Sunrise in Dublin
Sunrise in lovely Dublin, Ireland…
It’s so rewarding to get up for sunrise and walk the streets in a foreign city. I try and do it at least once on every trip, and I am always rewarded with great photographs.
The thing is that everyone likes to sleep in a bit, so if you are up and out at sunrise you are pretty likely to be able to photograph popular spots when they are empty. That is exactly what happened for me in Dublin, Ireland. I wandered around in the Temple Bar district and had these usually crowded streets all to myself. Sunrise was pretty, too!
A Stunning Sunrise in Rothenburg
A stunning sunrise in Rothenburg, Germany - a beautiful little medieval village.
I do love to get up and shoot sunrises!
When I visited Rothenburg, I knew I had to get up for sunrise one morning, simply because the town is small and popular. That's essentially a recipe for really crowded, and I don't like to do crowded. So I got up super early, and since I was staying right in the middle of town, it was a quick walk to get into position for sunrise. It's great to have quaint little spots like this all to yourself. It's as if you are the only person in the world, and you get to experience them in what I consider a magical way.
Morning at Notre Dame
One morning in Paris I was up and out shooting really early. I started at Notre Dame and although the sunrise wasn’t interesting, it was great to have this icon to myself!
Two versions of the same photo - which do you like better?
I often edit the same photo a couple of different ways. It's a great creative exercise and one that stretches my imagination a bit. It causes me to think differently and forces me to experiment with filters and ideas that may not occur to me naturally. Plus it's fun.
So in today's photo I did just that, taking this morning shot from Notre Dame in Paris and editing it a couple of different ways. In this case the differences are mostly about color tones but many times I will do much broader experiments to see what else I can come up with. Give it a try if you don't do this regularly. You just might discover a cool new technique for yourself!
Rothenburg sunrise
Sunrise in Rothenburg, Germany and I was out in the streets firing away...
So much beauty in Germany!
I love Germany - it's just such a beautiful country. When I was there last year, I spent 2 nights in the little medieval town of Rothenburg. It was like being in a fairytale village. The architecture is beautiful and the little streets just beg to be photographed.
I got up early one morning to wander the streets at sunrise, and it was well worth it. I had the town to myself and walked away with a lot of images that I just adore. So fun!
Sunrise in Rothenburg
A golden sunrise in the stunning medieval village of Rothenburg, Germany...
Ah, what a gorgeous little village in Germany!
I loved my visit to Rothenburg Germany, even though it was only for 2 nights. It's small enough you can see it all in a day, but of course I wanted to dive in a little deeper (and get a chance to really shoot it).
The first sunrise there found me up and out shooting, which basically gave me the town all to myself. It was incredible. Wandering the little streets and photographing these scenes in solitude was just incredible. Highly recommended!
Up early in Paris
Before sunrise in Paris, when all the tourists are asleep...
Do you get up and shoot sunrise when you travel? I do, and it's usually amazing.
I would say that sunrise is my favorite time to shoot, especially when I travel. Most of the tourists are still asleep, so normally crowded spots are empty, like this one. This is the path along the River Seine in Paris, in front of Notre Dame. At 6am it looks like this - empty. I'm willing to sacrifice sleep to get things like this to myself!