Canadian Memorial, New Forest 1 Dec 2023 8:35

These are the lightning-scarred trees from my earlier "When Lightning Strikes Twice: A Memorial in Winter" post, but with a shift in perspective and time. Forty minutes later and from the ground-level perspective of my camera, the blue hour breaks as the first shafts of golden sunlight sweep across the landscape, spilling over the crowns of an adjacent stand of pines and illuminating the tops of the two trees.

Remain rooted to one spot as the predawn gloom recedes from the advancing day, and light, evolving by the minute, draws you through dawn's unique spectrum of atmospherically scattered light. While the science behind the interaction of light and atmosphere may be fascinating, it's the scale, colour and evolving patterns that captivate and become the essence of any sunrise photo. 

Naturally, preparation is key to capturing the moment. Without planning, you will rarely stumble upon the ideal spot ready to photograph a beautiful dawn as it happens. To find the perfect position, you could plan with maps and perhaps an app like PhotoPills, calculating the sun’s position relative to your subject and viewpoint, but the real keys to success are patience and persistence. Revisit and reconnoitre the scene until one day you are rewarded with a perfect fleeting moment and you will already know exactly where to stand and capture it. All the while, as the light crescendos to its climax, you can’t appreciate the peak moment has arrived until it has passed, so keep taking photos until the sublime light is swallowed by the advancing day, then head home to a fresh brew of coffee and a few hours with your favourite photo editor.