Montana Morning

Sunrise comes early in Montana, even at this time of year. We arrived at this location in Glacier National Park a little after 6AM, and there was already enough light in the sky to maneuver down to the lookout point easily.

Official sunrise time was 6:30, but these colors did not appear until 6:45, and by 7AM the show was over.

When photographing sunrise anywhere, from the mountains to the sea, it is important to arrive on site early and be ready long before Mother Nature’s light show begins. Once things start to pop, there is precious little time to think. You just have to shoot, shoot, shoot. I suggest taking a shot every five or ten seconds while the colors are strongest. Sometimes your eye does not see subtle changes at the time, but you will see them when you get back to download and edit.

When photographing sunrise or sunset, use a small aperture in order to maximize Depth of Field, and use a relatively low ISO if possible. The lower the ISO, the less noise you will have. In any case, try to use an ISO no higher than 400. Regarding shutter speeds, a slow shutter speed is rarely a problem when photographing sunrise or sunset, especially when the sun is not in the picture.

TECHNICAL DATA

Shutter Speed 2.5 seconds.  Aperture f/32.  ISO 100.  Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS, set at 70mm.  Camera: Canon 6D.  Gitzo tripod with Really Right Stuff ballhead and Wimberley Sidekick.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “”…day and night meet fleetingly at twilight and dawn… and their merging sometimes affords the beholder the most enchanted moments of all twenty four hours.”  --Mary Balogh