Sunrise Over Downtown – Los Angeles, California

I’m not usually an early riser. But, something got me up from a sound sleep on the first night at the Hampton Inn. Peaking outside revealed a golden photographic opportunity. Perhaps it was the photo-gods that sent me a message.

A snapshot that I posted a week ago showed the potential of a downtown skyline. However, the cluttered foreground and non-dynamic light made for a simple documentary shot. Mix in an extreme telephoto, silhouette, and glorious color, and you get an entirely different picture.

I switched from the compact Canon G7X Mark II to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with the 14-150mm lens. No need to zoom all the way. At a 100mm, which is a 200mm equivalent, I framed the image above. I made several compositions but preferred this mix of silhouetted shapes. Note the bonus plane towards the top left.

Three and half minutes later, the sun broke over the horizon. I went wider. Now, at a 120mm equivalent, I pulled in the sun and the Southern California defining palm trees. The foreground power lines turned from distracting to character-building — adding a horizontal design element.

It was a magical few minutes. Then, I fell back to sleep and got up at a more normal, reasonable time. After all, I am a night owl.

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