Funny confession time – when I started this series, I fully intended for it just to be a three part series, however the third image was going to be the second image down in the Alternative Perspective section.  The idea was to illustrate how sometimes sunrises progress from really soft, pastel like colors, to the more “bang!” type colors and light.  I chose those three because really those were the best sunrises I’d witnessed at the time.  Well then the good Lord went and unleashed a series of other sunrises on East Tennessee, and so I’ve adjusted my plans here a bit.  It is still going to be a three part series (I do actually want to get to scenes with fall colors in them), but this week I just decided to share a number of images that could truly stand on their own, but alas – time.  BUT, by doing this it actually helps me case a bit.  In this single post you can see the progression of a sunrise playing out.  Immediately above is the “bang” of color and light, but immediately below you can see the deep reds you can get sometimes early on in a sunrise, followed by the pinks, oranges, and yellows as the sun’s light gets brighter and brighter on the horizon.

All of these images were shot from the same two locations, many of which have similar compositions even, but this illustrates how much the sky can change the entire scene, even minute to minute.  I mentioned last week how I love the solitude that many sunrises afford because the masses haven’t gotten out of bed yet.  Sunrises around here can also offer comradery as well – on each of these mornings I ran into friends who were also out chasing the light, and it’s always so much fun being out shooting together.

More next week!

–Dan Thompson