Meeting the Dawn - Photographing the Break of Day

False dawn faintly painted the horizon as I pushed my canoe from the shore of Spruce Island on Lake Lila in early September. Along the far shore wisps of ground fog were flowing silently onto the lake offering near perfect conditions for enjoying and photographing the coming dawn. 

Photography from a canoe in open water can be challenging at any time. Adding constantly changing light conditions of dawn and maneuvering to capture the best image as the sun seems to jump up from the horizon makes the task even more difficult. I have found that with proper preparation and planning you can greatly increase your chances of success and even find time to enjoy the break of day from behind the camera.

Lake Lila, September 2015

Here are some hints that have helped me over the years 

1.) know your boat.

Being comfortable maneuvering your boat both forward and backwards is key to being able to put yourself where you can capture the image you are looking for. While it is often impossible to determine exactly where the sun will rise, putting yourself where trees overhanging the water and other features along the shore can be used as compositional elements can keep you from having to make changes in location that can eat up the short time you have to shoot the sunrise. 

Avoid the trap of starting out too close to the shore where the sun will rise, It is far easier to move forward as you see the scene unfolding before you than backing up long distances to create more space.

Face the scene. If you find that the bow of the boat is in the viewfinder you can turn the boat slightly to one side or another until it is clear. With the dawn there is often a glass-like surface on the water and by facing the scene any ripples you create as you sit will go to the sides and not into your photo. Once you are in place, small movements should be done by backing up whenever possible as I have found that the wake that is created goes towards the direction the boat is moving and does less to disrupt the surface of the water. 

Follow the sun. As the sun rises, move closer to the shore and use the treeline and other objects for silhouettes. doing this can often extend your time of photographing the break of day.

Round Lake, Whitney Wilderness, July 2014

2.) know your camera.

The short time the sun is rising on and just above the horizon is best used taking breath-taking images not breathlessly fumbling with buttons and dials on your camera. 

Understand exposure settings

ISO - In normal situations I shoot at as low of an ISO as the camera I am using allows. At dawn (and other low light situations) I have found that to be able to successfully photograph from a boat I have had to greatly increase the ISO. Every brand and model of camera is different, so it is best to experiment with different settings and see the results. As the conditions allow, I start lowering this setting, trying to always shoot a the lowest ISO possible.

F-Stop. While it is tempting to drop the f-stop to the lowest setting since you are photographing something in the distance, the shallow depth of field can cause the foreground to be out of focus This is especially true when using the camera's auto focus setting. A mid-range (F5.6 - 8) seems to be a good compromise,  

Shutter Speed - The adage "shutter speed should be no less than the focal length of the lens" may work when standing on solid ground, but the constant movement of a canoe and the person trying to stay still and balanced requires there to be some adjustment. From my experience three or four times the focal length is a good starting minimum. Nothing worse than being disappointed with the results due to camera movement. 

Lake Harris, Newcomb, June 2014

Manual Exposure - If your camera allows you to set your exposure manually, your opportunities for both success and creativity is greatly increased. Combining this with being able to view the images as they are taken gives you the ability to make adjustments as conditions change. On many cameras the f-stop is not easily changed when in manual mode. Learning the buttons required to make the change beforehand takes far less time than trying to figure it out when you really need to change the setting. 

Zoom Lens - A wide angle zoom lens offers the ability to get closer to specific areas of the scene. One issue that should be kept in mind is that the greater the zoom length used the more the shutter speed needs to be increased to avoid camera shake. 

Capturing the break of day from a canoe or kayak can be an experience of a lifetime, with a bit of planning you can make it happen. 

Weller Pond, September 2014