About the Photo: Crowned By Dawn
I keep two scratch off maps in my office. One for states and one for National Parks. I had one glaring section of my map that I had wanted to cross off for a long time. That area was the Pacific Northwest, Washington and Oregon. I decided that I was going to fly out to Seattle and cross two states and three National Parks off my list. I gave myself two weeks to capture the essence of the Northwest. That seemed like a lot of time but looking back, it wasn't enough. I spent a couple months planning everything I wanted to see. All the driving and the places to stay. I decided the end of September into October was the best time to go. I knew I was putting myself up against the rainy season but the thoughts of seeing fall color at Mount Rainier and the golden larches in North Cascades were worth the risk. One thing I didn’t take into account was that the Government was going to shut down a few days after I arrived which brought a lot of unknowns. At the time, I wasn’t sure if that meant the parks would close and I’d have to scramble to come up with other plans or not. Luckily the parks stayed open and I could see everything I wanted.
With that background out of the way, here is how “Crowned By Dawn” came to be and how it almost didn’t happen.
I flew out to Seattle on the night of September 26. By the time my flight arrived, I got my rental car and I made it to my hotel, it was almost midnight. I was tired from that five hour flight and just wanted to get some sleep. I figured I had two weeks, I didn’t need to rush my first morning. Plus the forecast was calling for 100% clouds. there was no shot of a sunrise happening.
The stress of the unknown with the Government shutdown and the fact that I was still on Maryland time, I woke up early. I lied in bed contemplating what to do. I took my time leaving the hotel but I decided to head to Mount Rainier so I could at least see the park if it did shutdown in a couple days. I had a two hour drive to get there and I’d be arriving right around sunrise if I was lucky. As I got to the park gates it was still dark. The trees were thick so I didn’t know what I was arriving to. The further I drove into the park, the more the trees opened up. I noticed that the sky was starting to get some color. Oh no, did I blow my shot at sunrise? A little bit of panic was going through my head but I knew I still had a shot.
I pulled into a parking spot at Reflection Lake. The sky was gaining more color on the horizon. I quickly gathered my camera bag and tripod and headed towards the lake. I tried going down a path but it was blocked off for restoration. Oh no, I’m losing more time. The sky is getting brighter. Colors are getting stronger. I turn around and find another way down to the shore. I find a nice quiet spot to sit up my tripod. I got my camera mounted and suddenly the sky erupted in pinks and rose golds all around Mount Rainier. The lake sat perfectly still living up to the name Reflection Lake. Interesting clouds hung in the sky between Mount Rainier and the sunrise so I lined up a panoramic shot and the rest is history. “Crowned By Dawn” was born.
All the stress of the morning, the panic, the lack of sleep, all worth it and I’d do it all again for a sunrise like that morning. I’d love to hear your thoughts about my photo. Also tell me your story about a time you almost missed a shot but pulled it off. Comment below and let me know.