In October 2024, I spent a wonderful week in the Charlevoix region with friends, all eager to capture the autumn beauty with our cameras. Each day began with fog, leaving me to wonder how I could photograph an interesting landscape under such conditions.
One evening, I planned a shot for the following morning. I envisioned capturing the sunrise, knowing that the light rays would be quite strong. My goal was to find an engaging location where the sun could serve as a contrasting element in the scene. I believed that the combination of the sunrise, the agricultural plants, and the field would create an adequate composition.
The next morning, twenty minutes before sunrise, I left the lodge. I drove to a nearby area, and when I saw the distant sun rising above the tall plants, I parked my car by the side of the road.
I set up my tripod and camera, equipping it with my favorite Leica DG wide-angle lens, which creates star effects at very small apertures (f/22). I composed the image using a 20 mm focal length and set the aperture to f/22.
Behind the camera, the scene amazed me. On the right were tall golden plants leading toward the sun, while on the left were very short green plants, and a small plant stood right in the middle.
I waited ten minutes for the sun to rise above the distant field and the golden plants before I triggered the shutter. Once again, my planning and familiarity with my gear had paid off!
