Getting out of bed early in the morning, in total darkness, is never something I get too excited about. But when you are in a place like Badlands National Park and are looking to capture an image of an amazing sunrise over this incredible landscape, you just do it. Since this was in late May, and the sun rises at 5:15 AM, I started out at 4 AM to be in place and prepared at my desired location.
The landscape here doesn’t lack interesting spots to photograph. Just about anywhere you look and in any direction, you are likely to find a great composition. And you don’t have to venture very far off the main road through the park. Walking over the land here is strongly encouraged, and it reveals a wondrous land full of layers upon layers of eroded clay stone in all sorts of formations.
I chose a wide-angle lens to shoot this image, using the many lines, patterns, and textures in the foreground to lead the eye into the frame. The sun had just broken the horizon, lighting up the clouds in the sky and illuminating the land at my feet. I had been to Badlands NP in the past but had never photographed a sunrise here before. It left me feeling more amazed than ever at what a magnificent landscape this is.
