I took this shot at 5:32 am. This lovely result is based on planning and gear familiarity, 2 fundamental photographic elements.

For a long time, I dreamed of doing sunrise shots in my close vicinity. So, in June, I checked on the Photo Ephemeris app to find where the sun would rise on June 2nd. It showed that the sun would rise at 5:07 am. This app is linked to Google Maps.

On Google Maps, I found a public park, La Plage de l'Est, that has access to the St-Lawrence River. Free from city visual distractions, it was a good location to catch the sunrise. The weather forecast was good. It is a 15-minute drive from my home. I planned to be on the spot 30 minutes before sunrise, so I had to leave home no later than 4:15 am.

I have done the same process to catch an amazing moonrise.

For gear familiarity, I installed my tripod, camera, cable release and Leica DG wide-angle lens on location. I know from experience that it produces beautiful star effects when set at a very small aperture (F/22). Look at this image published in my portfolio.

Once the sun rose, I saw its reflection on the river. I moved my tripod to find a location to set natural elements in the foreground. I installed my flash on the camera. When the sun's reflection (his twin) in the water was completely visible, I framed the image using a 28 mm focal length. I set the aperture to F22. When I triggered the shutter, the flash lit the foreground elements.

During postprocessing, I again realized the benefits of planning and gear familiarity. This beauty reminds me of the planning I did to capture a winning picture published in my portfolio.