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What a great morning to be alive on!
A very early start got me from my home, an hour and a quarter's drive away, to Penmon Point on the beautiful Isle of Anglesey, just off the North Wales coast.
The weather forecast had promised clear skies and low winds under a summer high pressure system, and for once they were right!
Penmon Point, with the enigmatic Puffin Island just offshore and the iconic lighthouse perched on the rocky shoreline, must be one of the loveliest places on earth, and a summer's dawn is definitely the best time to be here.
For the few weeks either side of the summer solstice, the sun rises to the northeast, slowly emerging from behind Puffin Island to cast its soft, golden light over the rocks, seaweed and lighthouse of Penmon Point for a few minutes before rising higher in the sky and losing that lovely warm glow.
So being in the right place at the right time is critical if you want to experience this scene at its best.
On this particular morning, all the different aspects of weather and tide came together to create a sensory treat that was just stunning in its grace and beauty.
Low tide allowed me to get close to the lighthouse, and the mirror calm conditions, with just a few ripples to mark the surface of the waters, gave lovely reflections of the lighthouse and Puffin Island as the sky glowed with the light of the rising sun.
Naturally, I took many photos as the sky grew brighter behind Puffin Island, waiting for the sun to appear.
This image, with the sun just peeping over the rim of the island and painting the lighthouse with a faint stripe of golden light, was the one that really hit the spot in terms of conveying some of the emotions I went through in this beautiful place on the best of mornings.
I chose this frame, seriously underexposed compared to the 'correct' setting my camera thought I ought to be using, to emphasis the coming of the light, set against a predominantly dark scene.
An analogy, in my thoughts as a Christian, of the coming of Jesus, the light of the world.
Filename - penmon lighthouse 13.jpg
Camera - Canon EOS 6D
Lens - 17-40mm zoom @ 21mm
Exposure - 1/250 sec @ f11, ISO100
Filters - 2 stop neutral density graduated filter used to balance the brightness between the sky and foreground.
Location - Penmon Point, Anglesey
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - Adobe Lightroom
Comments - Tripod, cable release and mirror lock up used to prevent camera movement
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