Dawn from an East-Facing Balcony in Sydney
Rain would have kept many from watching this dawn, which is
why I take photographs from an undercover balcony. Not unconnected, this was also one of the
worst dawns for mosquitoes. They landed
on my hands whilst I tried to hold the camera steady for just a few seconds to
take photographs, and I was forced stop at times and move about in attempts to
shake off the mini bloodsuckers.
Potential dawnwatchers should note that mosquitoes are an occupational
hazard.
La Stupenda Dawn:
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Today’s dawn was hands down the most stupendous dawn of
February 2012. Yet it began with every
indication of a washout, with the sky blanketed by cloud. However, if you look closely at the telegraph
pole horizon, you’ll note the gap there.
This gap was all-important in allowing the rising sun to shine through.
It began with pink striations across the sky. Just plain lines, nothing fancy or of much
interest. Then the sun found that gap
good and proper, and began pouring through, bathing the entire sky in golden
light.
ABC News 24 played a viewer’s video of this stupendous dawn
taken at the wharfside unit conversions down at The Rocks. Panning along the silhouette of the wharfs,
the video showcased the dawn sky as an opera curtain backdrop of pure molten
gold. It was gold, gold, fiery gold,
from one side of the horizon to the other.
The news presenter described this dawn as “awesome”.
I say it was freaking incredible. You had to see it to believe it. That’s a cliché, but honestly, I had no idea
a dawn could be anything like this, or like many of the other fantastic and
very different dawns - Old Masters Dawn, Gold Nugget Dawn, Lava Dawn,
Apocalypse Dawn, Old Gold Dawn, Lobster Dawn, China Dawn - that I have
witnessed in the space of just two months.
Also appreciating La Stupenda Dawn was a bird that alighted
on the telegraph pole. At the very
climax of the dawn, when the molten gold curtain covered the sky, he chose to
pose for photographs. I must tell you,
any bird that perches on that telegraph pole during sunrise will be
photographed. Simply irresistible. He’s not in the video, so I’ve posted his
picture here. I admit that the bird
diverted me from taking panoramic shots at a crucial time.
Smudgy slanted lines on clouds indicates rain. It rained intermittently all morning. And I’m sitting snug and dry on an undercover
balcony. Did I say smug? No?
All right, let’s keep moving. The
rain created an aurora borealis type effect, and in the video I’ve shifted to a
portrait shot in order to capture the full glory of the spectacle. Sorry, I know it’s awkward, but I deemed it
worth shifting from landscape to portrait and back; imagine the video sequence
without this shot.
When the light begins to fade, there’s still a show to see -
the golden remains of the rainy aurora borealis contrasts against the grey-clouded
sky. Eventually, it does fade away, to
leave a dark, cloudy grey morning for those who rise and look at the skies
after 6.45am. I retreat indoors and
stick my mosquito-bitten hands in the freezer.
But for a full memory card in my camera, I reckon it was worth it.
Judge for yourself.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
Souvenir posters and mugs of this dawn are available from
the Gagothicfunk store at Zazzle.com as displayed below:
Don’t forget your humble photographer also writes fantasy
adventure fiction under the name of S E Champenby. Paperbacks and epubs available from Lulu.com
at S E Champenby’s store.
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