31 January, 2011
I was getting the boys ready for school, chasing them to get shoes on, teeth cleaned, bags packed, when I happened to look out the window and saw the sky change from dark to light in a matter of seconds. I knew we were in for a great sunrise so I told the boys to finish on their own, grabbed the camera and two lenses, jumped into my wellies and sprinted for the top of our hill.
I made it with seconds to spare, throwing myself on the grass to get the best angle and brace the lens, and went to work as Dunnideer became an island adrift in a sky of fire.
From my position, the sun was rising almost directly behind Dunnideer, allowing me to capture some amazing light effects.
The only difficulty was deciding which elements to focus on. If I captured one area of sky and horizon, I’d miss something equally spectacular to the east or west. It really was changing that fast.
After a few minutes, I realised I hadn’t put my waterproof overtrousers on and my body heat was melting the heavy frost. Oh well, what’s a bit of cold and wet when there’s a sunrise like this to photograph!
A patch of blue sky even appeared, although it didn’t last long.
But the best light effects continued to be centred on Dunnideer and its ruined castle.
Of course, I still had the boys to send to school and after capturing a few more frames, I stood up, collected my gear and sprinted back down the hill to the house. I need not have worried about missing more photographic opportunities: as I ran the sun rose a little higher, clouds blocked the light and everything went to our usual misty grey. I even managed to get the boys on the bus on time.
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Nice shots and worth wetting your pants, eh Stoney?
I like the second one from the top; with the effect of a reddish sea central to the whole.
Beautiful! Worth a soaking!
Wow those are beautiful. You should get one blown up and hang it in the wall. We have some beutiful sunrises but the sunsets are the best chez nous
Sue
cracking good photos every one
How wonderful for you that you live where you get the opportunity to witness this glory…and how lucky for us that you’re such a grand photographer!
More like a nimble photographer—especially in wellie boots up 500 yards of hillside!
Thanks.
Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, now that’s what you call a sunrise! The 2nd pic is just perfect.
Thanks for visiting & nice to meet you, Janie x
I really like 2, 5 and 7 (the closer ones with the ruin as the focal point.) 2 and 5 in particular are amazing because the clouds look like ocean and the lighting is surreal.
And it really was like that. I was talking to the OH about the sunrise when she came home from work. She said that on her way to work she’d contemplated pulling over several times to just sit and watch the light show. But she’s diligent and didn’t. Instead she relied on me to photograph it.
Absolutely gorgeous sunrise. Thank you so much for sharing it and your daily life with us.
Great – do sheep really get golden teeth from grazing on Dunideer? Some sort of silicate in the grass? It’s strange how the arch way dominates the landscape all around because the hill isn’t all that high. Admire your style!
I’ve not heard about golden teethed sheep!
I think Dunnideer’s prominence is helped by it standing in a vast natural ampitheatre. If you look out from the top you can see it’s ringed by distant hills. If you look at it from almost anywhere on those hills, it’s usually silhouetted against ones on the other side. It’s particularly the case at dusk and dawn, as well as when there’s snow on the ground. The hill is a natural centrepoint that draws the eye. It’s not surprising that first the hill fort and then the Norman castle were placed on top of it—both say “look at me, the chief of all you can see lives here!”