Albert Head Lagoon Sunrise

Albert Head Lagoon, Metchosin BC

With the beautiful weather continuing I decided to head out again for another sunrise shoot at a different location. Waking up to a much clearer sky than yesterday at Esquimalt Lagoon I decided to head down to Albert Head Lagoon and see if I could get some decent shots with Victoria and Mount Baker in the background as the sun came up.With only a 15min drive from my house I arrived to an empty dark parking lot with the sky starting to turn to blue hour. For those of you that arn’t photography buffs I can explain Blu Hour and Golden Hour. Blue Hour is approximately 30min prior to Sunrise (or 30min after sunset), where the sky begins to lighten but the sun is still below the horizon which gives the sky a vibrant blue color and casts everything in a cool light. Golden Hour is the 30min after Sunrise (or before Sunset) where the sun is still low in the sky which means the light has to travel through “more” atmosphere then when it is directly above. At this time of day you get the soft yellows and oranges which you don’t get in the flat light of mid-day. Learning about these and then striving to be out and shooting during these times was a huge step forward in my photography. As they say, its all about the light!

Blue Hour

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As the sun broke above the horizon I continued shooting the sky changed color. A fantastic shadow cast down onto the water, cutting the frame in half. As I shot I realized high on one of the branches a Bald Eagle sat and watched me do my thing while keeping an eye out for breakfast.

Golden Hour

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With not a ton of foreground to work with at Albert Head Lagoon I finished up shooting and headed down the road deeper into Metchosin. I went to check out Lombard Drive which has an amazing row of Poplars that used to line the driveway of a Metchosin resident Henry Helgsen back in 1903. I was hoping the sun would be lined up with the poplars but unfortunately its not quite right at this time of year!

Lombard Drive

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As I turned back on to William Head Road I saw a slight mist on the fields, with Canada Geese lined up having breakfast with blue skies above. I pulled over my car and lined up some shots from the roadside, working fast as the day got brighter and the mist started to lift.

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