Sunrise No. 1 of 2,000+
- Sunrise time: 8:24
- Azimuth: 124° ⇡
- Did the sun rise: Yes
- Was the sun visible: Yes
- Felt like: -5 ºF
- Air Temp: 10 ºF
- Humidity: 54%
- Wind: 13 mph ⇡
- Wind gust: 20 mph
Exposure
- 85mm
- f/3.2
- 1/160 sec
- 50
Whitefish Point, Paradise, MI
117 mile commute
📍 46° 46' 13" N, -84° 57' 12" W
Musings [341 words]
Today marks the seventh straight year of chasing down the first sunrise of the new year along the Great Lakes, and it might be the most remarkable yet. It was pretty close to a double rainbow moment.
It was a near sleepless night. Though I got to bed on time, I was too restless and eager to hit the road in the morning, leaving Marquette at 5AM.
Each year has brought in a slightly different purpose of keeping the tradition alive. This year, the wind burn at Whitefish Point was the slap in the face my soul needed, getting back to some of my roots with a little road trip, time outside, a few photos, and getting grounded.
Few things are as invigorating for my soul as weather that kicks your ass. I’m not sure it could have been classified as inclement, but the morning was brutally cold with the kind of wind off Lake Superior that leaves your face feeling like it had been slapped a dozen times. What I love, is it puts you wholly in the present moment because you’re either in awe or you’re battling to stay warm, keep dry, or not blow away. The windier, the wetter, the nastier, the easier it is to forget about bills that need to get paid or broken hearts that need to be mended.
And once under the cover of shelter, your spirit and soul is in clearer place.
In hindsight
Below is the first ever photo I took during the scope of this project. It’s a beautiful view as I was driving north to Whitefish Point. It was taken about 45 minutes before sunrise, and I remember feeling that anticipation of what I’ll see next. While a beautiful view, the photo itself annoys me, as its focused on the mounds of ice rather than the horizon. But now, nearly six years again, it’s very representative of the project at large… figuring out how photography fits into this journey, learning my workflow, and publishing a photo no matter the results.
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