The sunrises in Costa Rica this last week were spectacular! From up at the lodge, we could look down the canyon and see in the darkness breaking over the Pacific. The heat and humidity combine to produce big, gorgeous puffies. While our goal was the wildlife, there is no way one could ignore these pillars to the heavens. So we hit the beach with gear for the sunrise and the birds. In my case, that was the 800mm and 18-35AFS on the D4s. Knowing how quickly the sunrises at the equator, the decision needs to be made just as quickly how to go. It comes down to color, depth and of course, light.
Both of these photos were taken prior to the sun coming up over the horizon. The D4s was set to minus 1 stop and WB set to Cloudy. Both photos taken east by south east with the 18mm shot at the top, the 800mm shot at the bottom. The 800mm is the lower left corner of the 18mm photo. The color and light are the key elements of both photos moving the eye around the frame. The gesture though is supplied by different elements. In one, it’s the clouds and the other, the waves. And the one very special element of this morning was, there was no wrong way, bad way, only great ways every which way you turned to shoot! It’s just another of the special aspects of the Osa Peninsula and the Costa Rican rainforest.