Sunrise in the forest is uneventful at best; there is no dramatic glowing ball rising from the horizon. Pre-dawn can be a tease for the nature photographer in the forest. The coyote, deer and other nocturnal animals are still up and about but the camera produces dull images. Colors become evident as light gradually penetrates between trees, signaling photographers that it is now prime time to capture wildlife images as in my previous post, “The Formative Years”.

The trail I took this morning led me out of the forest and into the prairie. Coming out of the forest preserve, at 6:30 a.m., shortly after sunrise in midsummer, presented an American version of a French impressionism scene. The warm earth and cool morning air produced fresh dew on every blossom and leaf. Fog layers interspersed grasses. The rising sun would soon warm the air to equal the earth’s temperature dissipating visible liquid drops back into unseen vapor. Timing is everything; photographing nature takes both patience and early rising, along with some good fortune.