This photo was taken this past January while on a camping trip in the Oman Mountains. After a good night's sleep in my tent, I woke up well before sunrise; I very much enjoy experiencing the quietness and tranquillity that occurs during this early time of the day.
I was hoping for some interesting light over this magnificent landscape at dawn, but high up in the mountain, one never knows what might happen. So, I picked up my camera kit and the tripod, walked to the edge of the cliffs, sat down, and waited with some anticipation.
Landscape photography is often a game of patience coupled with realistic expectations. I kept an eye on the eastern horizon while admiring the panoramic views and a pair of birds of prey flying overhead. Soon, the eastern sky started to become alive with soft pastel colours as the day's first light illuminated the mountains' crest.
There was a nice vertical transition between the mountains' cooler purple and blue colours and the warmer tones in the sky. This was complemented by a horizontal transition in the sky area from right to left, going from a lighter yellow–orange colour to a rich pink–red, respectively.
To preserve detail in the highlights (sky), I had to underexpose by a couple of stops. This means I had to recover the shadows during the development of the Raw file, but such is easy with modern sensors. I took several photos during this period, but I liked this one the best, just before the sun crested the mountain's edge.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor