Sunny Sunrise


Sunny Sunrise
© 2013 Kristina Plaas, All Rights Reserved
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© 2013 Kristina Plaas, All Rights Reserved
One of the things I have learned on my journey as a photographer is the importance of being in the right place at the right time to capture the best possible image. In nature photography that timing has everything to do with light. The best light happens in the hour surrounding sunrise in the morning and again in the evening at sunset. My inner body clock is set to be a night-owl, so sunrise photography is a real challenge. I have to get out of bed and out of the house ridiculously early in the morning, a time I now refer to simply as "0 Dark Thirty." The amazing thing is I have come to love the pre-dawn light so much that I happily roll out just to experience it. Trust me, this is revolutionary!

My most recent pre-dawn roll out led me to Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful location in the rolling farmland along the French Broad River east of Knoxville, Tennessee. The riverfront location and wooded hills make this prime habitat for all kinds of birds and waterfowl. In order to further attract and feed the many birds who call this area home, they planed a large plot of sunflowers. Not only do the birds find them irresistible, so do area photographers!

Last week I met up with a group of shutterbugs from the Tennessee Outdoor Photography group to capture the essence of the sunflower fields. The golden light after sunrise brought out a richness of color in the sunflowers that almost took my breath away. It was quite the scene! I hope you enjoy their cheery faces as much as I did photographing them.
Location: Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge, 2809 Kelly Lane, Kodak, TN 37764, USA

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