Glorious Morning

Last Saturday morning at about 6:20 am, I received a phone call from a friend who told me that it looked like a good morning to photograph the Mississippi River by Homer, Minnesota. I had been hoping to get an opportunity to take a landscape image from this vantage point ever since I first visited his home. It is a great view even though the lighting would be a challenge when shooting into the rising sun.

I arrived about a half hour later and soon found myself gazing south over the Mississippi River with Homer, Minnesota below me. The temperature was about 6o degrees with no wind to speak of and the sun had not yet peeked above the horizon giving me a little setup time. It was a truly magnificent sight with the river flowing towards the horizon and wisps of fog in some of the valleys and around Trempealeau Mountain.

I decided to use a 3 image HDR technique for the view over the river. I clicked away for about a half hour as the sun rose over the horizon. The tasty coffee my friend provided was the icing on the cake. What a great moment to be a photographer.

The second image was an after thought as I was leaving. The sun was now above the horizon and illuminated the colorful trees and patio area where I had just taken the river photos. Fall is such a great time of the year!