Lake Sunrise on Lake Michigan

the sun sits just above the lake water, in a dramatic dark ombre sky of browns and blues and blacks, the sun is seen through a heavy fog it seems, with delicately lit water and waves beneath
Sun Rising on the Lake
the sun sits just above the lake water, in a dramatic dark ombre sky of browns and blues and blacks, the sun is seen through a heavy fog it seems, with delicately lit water and waves beneath
Lake Sunrise

This morning the lake sunrise is draped by a heavy fog. It stands out as one of the more special days from the Lake Series project that I can remember. As I approached the lake, I could immediately tell it would be different from most. The sun began to rise and the fog burned away to reveal it’s form. I was met with a beautiful lake to photograph. I captured an incredibly delicate world of gently shifting color, layering and opacity.

Lake Sunrise Reflections

Here we can see how the sunlight barely touches the lake’s surface. As the morning passed more of the lake became illuminated. But for now in this photo, it is just lightly highlighting the edges of the waves as this lake sunrise begins to fully reveal itself.

On this morning, the wind was absent. Because of this, the fog remained in the sky for the entire sunrise. I always feel so luck to be able to be at the lake on these mornings. The sun light from this lake sunrise hit the rolling waves, and the subtle shifts from illumination to shadow in the water created a softness that is beguiling.

A day like this is a good reminder that you can never assume to know what the lake will reveal on a given day. Summer days, with that endless blue certainty can lull you into a false sense of consistency. But with this morning it is a clear reminder that the lake can always surprise me. I am really looking forward to this coming winter. If you would like to see some other lake sunrises, you can visit my instagram profile, here. I would highlight in particular this lake sunrise panorama from the Lake Series Panorama collection that I continue to expand on today.