Sunrise at the Edge of Earl

On September 13, 2022,  Hurricane Earl was passing far out to sea, but New Hampshire was about to receive the fringe of the storm in the form of wind and rain.  We had high clouds moving into the area ahead of some low cloud cover that would bring rain and eventually thunder.  That meant I might be able to get a colorful sunrise shot.

With a mug of coffee in hand and camera gear in the trunk of the car, I headed to the highest spot in my town.  I really figured I'd be sitting there enjoying the view, sipping my coffee while enjoying the nice warm breeze coming up through the valley.  It never happened.  I could see the color forming before I reached my vantage point.  It was difficult to stay calm while I set up the tripod and camera and honed in on the composition and proper exposure.

This image was taken about five minutes prior to the sun cresting the mountains on the horizon.  Notice the sun spike that preceded the sunrise.  When the sun did come over the horizon it was an incredible neon orange color and was only visible for about twenty seconds before being blotted out by the approaching low cloud cover. 

This panorama is the result of twelve different shots taken across the horizon.  Each shot has two exposures, one for the highlights and another for the shadow.  The resulting twenty four shots were stitched together and tones merged in PhotoShop to end up with this 80+” wide print that is 45” tall. 

Prints are currently available in sizes from 28” x 9” to 76” x 24.” Prints are made in my own studio and should be ready to ship within 5-7 days. Use the “Email Me” button above for comments or quote requests.