Sunrise is Painful When You’re Not a Morning Person

But it is still worth getting up early for.  Despite not being a morning person (I still prefer to see sunrise from the other side by staying up late rather than getting up early), I have grown to love photographing sunrises (even if I do sometimes head back to bed after shooting them).  One of my favourite locations is Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, just near Lake Louise.  Early summer sunrises at Moraine Lake are simply breathtaking.  The Valley of the Ten Peaks reflects perfectly in the still waters and in early summer, the mountains are still dotted with snow.  The problem with early summer sunrises is that they come early.  Really early.  As in just after 5am early.  I live a 2 hour drive from Moraine Lake, and the spot I like for my images is a short walk from the parking lot at the lake.  Still, that usually means I have to leave the house by about 2.30am to make it in time.  I really should just sleep in the parking lot, but I haven’t gotten myself quite that organized just yet. If you are going to leave the house at 2.30am, there really isn’t any point going to bed, is there?

This image was taken on June 10th about an hour after first light when the sun had risen just enough to light the trees along the edge of the lake.  ISO200, 12mm, f16 @ 1/20 second. The road to Moraine Lake usually opens in late May, so there are limited opportunities to access the lake earlier than that.  Views like this can turn anyone into a morning person–at least for a few hours.