In October 2024, I spent a wonderful week in the Charlevoix region with friends, all of us eager to capture the beauty of autumn with our cameras.
Each day began with fog, leading to the big question: how could I capture an interesting landscape in these foggy conditions? One night, I decided to plan my shot for the following morning. I envisioned the strong light rays of sunrise and knew I needed to find a barn facing the sunrise. I also wanted to include a natural object as an immediate foreground element. With my trusty Leica DG wide-angle lens set to a very small aperture of f/22, I aimed to create star effects with the rising sun.
Using the Photographer’s Ephemeris app, I pinpointed when and where sunrise would occur, narrowing it down to three barns. The next morning, I arrived at the first barn, parked my car on the side of the road, and walked into the field. As I had anticipated, the sun rose directly behind the barn. I searched for a plant that I could position to align with both the barn and the rising sun. When I spotted a lovely plant, I set up my tripod and camera, composed the shot using an 18 mm focal length, set the aperture to f/22, and pressed the shutter button. If you look closely at the nearby natural elements, you’ll see they are glistening with water droplets!
Once again, I was reminded that planning and familiarity with one’s gear are essential elements of successful photography.
