I made a winter trip to San Juan Island in Washington Stat3e for a two-night campout to shoot as many images from the Island as possible. A big focus was to spend the sunrises and sunset in Lime Kiln State Park, with the Lime Kiln Lighthouse as my subject matter.

After scouting the area, I picked this location because I loved the tide pools in the foreground. The lichen on the rock had very interesting colors and patterns, adding great depth and color to my foreground. I struck out the night before for sunset, but I was back in position well before sunrise in hopes that something would happen at sunrise.

When I started to get light on the scene, I could see it was very overcast. I was not getting any color at all. But I have learned through the years as a professional photographer to never give up. I shot after shot; all I got was grey.

It was already after official sunrise time, and I was just starting to think it was not going to happen. Suddenly, there was a break in the clouds, and I could see a blue sky. There was hope! Then the color came. It came on fast and got stronger and stronger while the clouds were moving through the frame. Mt exposure times were getting shorter, so I bumped the aperture to f/22 and kept clicking the shutter. I could see a great design in the clouds was coming my way, I waited for it while I was counting the eight second turn the light in the lighthouse was making.

On my count, I clicked the shutter and captured the moment I was waiting for. I captured the foreground I wanted, the color and design in the clouds I was hoping for, and even the lighthouse light on! Pow, I nailed that! Put that in the bank! It all came together, and now this image has made it into both of my galleries.