Morning Sunset

This photograph was taken at about 9:00 AM. Would you have known that if I had not said so? That is why I love this picture. You could just as easily imagine this picture being taken at sunrise as you could sunset. Let me know what you think!
God Bless
-Andy

January Sunrise

6:45 AM Sunday, January 28 2007

I have just rolled out of bed, completely exhausted after no more than four hours of sleep. I decided last night that this of all mornings would be a great morning to get outside and take some landscape photographs. (At this point I am starting to seriously reconsider my judgment skills.) For a moment I think about going back to bed, but I decide that since I'm already up I might as well go ahead and do this.

Outside the weather is frigid, I have two layers of clothing on and I am still frozen to the bone. My first stop is the roof of a building nearby where I think that I should be able to get a nice view of the sunrise. I get to my first location fairly quickly and set up my gear. From where I stand I can see the Knoxville skyline it is a deep beautiful shade of blue and gray. Standing on the roof I can smell the cold, my hands are so cold I can barely operate the controls of my camera. After waiting for a few minutes I found, to my disdain, that I was early. I wasn't just early; I was about half an hour early.

After waiting about half an hour the sun began to rise. Immediately I lost all notion of regret for getting up so early. The rising sun was truly beautiful. I doubt that I have ever seen a morning sunrise that I did not think was beautiful, but this was something different. The way the clouds just perfectly obscured the sun allowing its rays to stream through was utterly breathtaking.

For about the next hour I took more photographs than I care to count. Granted, they were all pretty much of the same thing, but they were all beautiful.

When I was satisfied that I had captured the shots I was looking for I packed up my gear and moved on to my second location.

Just the trip to my second location was gorgeous; the sun was painting a beautiful pallet of colors across the sky. After about a five minute walk I arrive at my second location; a well know statue on campus. The sky behind the statue was amazing; the vivid shades of blue and gray were unexplainable. I did not spend much time at the statue because I was in a hurry to get to my last location.

The last place that I had been planning to shoot for the day is this one spot on campus that I really like. Standing at that spot looking toward the oldest part of campus anyone who looks at the right time is blessed with one of the most beautiful landscape views on campus. Looking out you can see all of the oldest parts of campus with their beautiful architecture and red brick. The sight was amazing it was not the exact shot that I was looking for but beautiful nonetheless.

I spent about forty-five minutes there taking as many shots as I could imagine. Looking back, it was truly rewarding.

Happy with the images I had captured, I began to head back toward the cafeteria. I was anticipating the wonderful breakfast I was about to eat and the intensely satisfying nap I was planning to take. Walking, I noticed some flowers that I thought were pretty and captured some shots of them before heading on my way.

As I was about to pack up my camera I notice that the sun had virtually disappeared behind some clouds and that the resulting scene was quite beautiful. So, without much thought, (or even taking the time to get a good look through the viewfinder) I took a picture. I would later find, to my amazement, that this was perhaps on of the best pictures of the day.


The morning was very rewarding and I enjoyed (almost) every minute of it. I think that, in the future, I will plan more of these photographic adventures at odd times. I like the spontaneity of it all.

Looking back on that morning, not only did I get a chance to be at peace and take some beautiful pictures. I had the chance to truly be alone, to talk to my creator, and to enjoy his beautiful creation without the interruption of my friends, my family, or the common annoyances of this time. It is the small moments like these that drive me; the seemingly pointless moments where I am made intensely aware of the greatness of my god that keep me strong.

God Bless,
-Andy