There are few places on this planet that offer a photographer a better chance to capture an awesome sunrise than the Easter Sierra.
"Sunrise on the Palisades" was taken on our annual Camera Club camping trip to the eastern Sierra at the and of July. This year we camped at Big Pine Creek campground. Linda (my wife) and I arrived a few days early and on the first afternoon we hiked up South Big Pine creek trailhead towards the southern Palisades. I reached this spot in the trail and noticed the trail made a nice “S curve” providing a "leading line" to towards the distant peaks.
I checked the time it took me to hike back (20 minutes) and checked the sunrise time on my photopills app for the next morning. 5:50am, ugggggg! I set up the equipment I would need the night before the shoot and put out the cloths I would throw on in a semi stupor. Alarm went off at 5:00am and I looked out to see if the sky would be clear enough in he eastern horizon for a good sunrise light show. It was, so I started up the trail and once I heard the river and felt the cold air on my face I was good to go. I was alone on the trail and at the site I had selected. It was first light when I set up my tripod. A mosquito swarm quickly descended on me so I zipped up my puffer parka and hood and must have looked like an eskimo to the passing deer.
Watching the light slowly decend down the mountain was wonderful. As expected in the Eastern Sierra, the high 14,000 ft peaks of the Palisades begin to glow first and the shutter starting clicking. The clouds were perfect and pointed to the Palisade range. I was treated to a very wonderful surprise. For 15 seconds, the foreground lit up, as well as the Palisades, but the peaks nearest me stayed in darkness. I few seconds later the entire scene was in full sunlight and the shoot was over. Thank you powers that be!
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