Photography adventure: Morning glory

This morning I woke at 6 am and just knew, even before the sun was up, that I had to shoot the sunrise today. Do you ever get those feelings. Something tells you where to go and there it is, WOW.

When I started out I looked at the gray, overcast, sky and thought, maybe my gut instincts were wrong this time, but since they are usually right on target, I proceeded to my favorite East overlook. Tip: establish a spot to view East for sunrises and West for sunsets, that you can get to fast because sun transitions go fast.

The park ranger was late today so the gate was still locked. After a minute of thought I parked the jeep and hiked past the gate to the overlook. I knew the sunrise would be fleeting and couldn't wait for the guy who slept in.

The sun was just coming up as I got to the overlook and it was glorious. The only problem I have now is deciding which of the pics to blow up to poster size. I sent three to the lab to make 8x10s. Speaking of labs, lets have a little talk about picture quality.

Labs vs home printers

Home printers are convenient, but the ink and paper cost more than the cost of most labs. Also, unless you use the, even more expensive, archival inks and papers in your home printer, your prints run the risk of fading into oblivion in a few years. Find a good reputable lab to develop your work into high quality prints. Make sure you get chemical prints. Yes, digital files can be developed using a chemical process that provides the longevity of film prints. Just ask the lab you plan to have the work developed at what process they use. If you have a choice of labs, print the same print at multiple places and see which one does the best job. Think about this, what is the one thing, next to people and pets, that is most valued and grieved over when lost? Family photos. Don't trust the discount places to do a good job. Most of them have shotty equipment and don't have trained lab techs who know how to balance the chemicals.

So when you get that fantastic shot that you got up early for, stood in freezing temperatures for, risked your freedom and life for, do it justice with quality developing.

geopic