Daybreak Glow over Niagara RiverBlack Rock Canal Park, Buffalo, NY

How about seeing the makeover of the Black Rock Canal Park? How about seeing it early in the morning before the sun wakes up? Isn't that backwards you ask? Shouldn't I go there at sunset instead? Well, not really. Not really for at least two reasons I can think of right now.

First, the subtle sunrise glow in the western sky can have its own magic. And with plenty of clouds around the last few days the glow should have potential, right? Another reason? Sunset locations draw lot fewer people at sunrise. And not too many people tend to get up early, especially on a weekend. This combination happens to create much better conditions to enjoy the moment and just stare into the distance in awe at what Mother Nature can do.

It's always a bit of a mystery and patience practice too. Will the magic happen? Are there going to be enough clouds? Aren't there going to be too many clouds? If it happens, am I going to be able to get even close to capturing what nature comes up with?

It was the same this morning, with clouds everywhere and the whole scene over Niagara River shrouded in cool blue tones. Then I noticed a little bit of a sparkle in the eastern sky as the sun was getting its paint brushes ready.

I walked about the Niagara River banks for a bit looking for the right angles. I tried a few horizontal compositions but was not happy with what I was seeing in the viewfinder. I either did not have enough water or enough sky to get both my foreground in along with the important part of the sky. So, the camera went vertical and things started falling in place. A little dance in many different directions and tilts and I found what I was looking for. Just add some filtering to balance the sky and the water and I was ready.

It was just in time too as the sky over Canada started glowing. Wait, wait, wait, click, wait, wait, click, wait, ... and the hues started disappearing as quickly as they appeared. That's the thing about these moments. Not only does one not have a clue whether they will happen but then you can't ever be sure what the next second will bring. Are the colors going to intensify or are they going to start fading? Patience and attention are really needed here, not fiddling with the camera.

Everyone has their own approach to solving this problem. Some take advantage of the digital technology and keep shooting a frame after frame to choose one later. Others approach the same situation much more like back in the film days when every click cost money. I struggle between the two worlds, being more and more drawn to the selective approach, to truly catch the peak moment. It adds to the excitement, the anticipation, and really frees one's attention to actually enjoy the moment. And so it happened, two frames, that's it. The first one was a keeper, the second one had colors already fading. And yes, less time on the computer later on is not a bad thing either!

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you (#etbtsy)!

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