It was an hour before sunrise when I got to the east side of Badlands National Park.
Just in time.
I walked along the wall of eroded rock formations looking to create interesting images using the shapes and colors in the morning sky.
Occasionally I pointed my camera to the west, where pyramid shaped rocks caught the early morning light.
But I was pretty certain everything good was going to be to the east.
There were clouds to catch the light and color.
And the sun was just about to rise.
I was all alone as the sun broke the horizon and I laughed out loud when I realized just how cool this sunrise might be.
As the sun became visible in the gap between rock formations, I realized by moving my tripod a few inches or several feet I'd be able to control the placement and amount of sun in each frame.
This was perfect.
I could decide if the sun was left, right, or center in the frame and just how much I included.
I happily kept at it until the light started to get a bit flat.
Then made a quick stop at one of my favorite spots, knowing the light wouldn't be the best. It was just good to be there, pictures or not.
Then I put the camera away, grabbed the tripod and made my way back to the car.
I knew if I hurried, I could make it to this spot before the shadows disappeared. I wanted to try adding a person to the image and did, but it didn't really work.
So, I went back to just badlands. What a great morning.
