Staying Rooted

June 8, 2007, Southwest Harbor, Maine
The sun, barely up but soon to be blanketed behind slate clouds. I climbed from bed at 4:30 AM for this? At first the sky looked clear - scrambling to set up tripod, bag, camera, position... Three shots before the clouds appeared from nowhere. position... sun rising fast. position... **5:12:54 AM - snap:shot #22*** I must make something else before the sun is totally gone. How to shoot when the world isn't holding still??? Well, perhaps that's NOT what you thought this photo is about.

In fact, I went on shooting for another 17 minutes, long after the sun was behind the cloud bank, and with some good results, but I especially like this one with its lone tree, cropped but braced against the clouds and the rising sun. That there were many competing shots of vastly different character perhaps testifies to the richness of the scenic components, to the constantly changing light, and to a certain uncertainty by the photographer as to what the hell he was after. I struggled with the "contact sheets," but finally chose this. It seemed to me that it had the most complex story to tell. That so many came so easily tells me there's much better yet to be had in Southwest Harbor. 'Until I discover what it is, be sure to click the thumbnail to see this shot full screen.