On a night in August 2025, I consulted my weather application to ascertain the expected conditions for sunrise the following day. The forecast indicated sunny weather with some clouds.
Using The Photographer’s Ephemeris app, I determined that Plage de l’Est would be an ideal vantage point for capturing the sunrise.
Subsequently, I rechecked the application to confirm the continued suitability of this site for the upcoming day. Sunrise would occur at 06:10. My experience with sunrises tells me we must be at the vantage point at least 15 minutes before sunrise.
I set up my tripod and camera with a wide-angle lens and a cable release. I also installed a 6-stop ND filter, envisioning a long exposure to smooth the water’s surface texture while enhancing reflections and emphasizing the beautiful clouds.
I used a 24mm focal length to frame the shot, including the green vegetation and the shoreline on the left side of the image to show depth. At 06:03, seven minutes before sunrise, I took the shot.
I utilized the Live Time feature on my Olympus camera to achieve a perfect exposure (ETTR). At f/18, it took 40 seconds. Long exposures allow me to enjoy the scene for an extended period, providing a unique visual pleasure.
Once again, meticulous planning and a thorough understanding of my equipment proved to be essential elements of successful photography. For me, it’s important to have preferred photographic locations, free of visual distractions, close to my home. Living in a large city, I am fortunate to reach this site in less than twenty minutes.
In post-processing, looking at the RAW file, the colours were too intense for my taste. In LR, I set the saturation to -14.
