Shooting the Sunrise on New Years Day Didn’t Quite Go According to Plan
Poolbeg Powerstation at Sandymount in Dublin Bay, Ireland on the First sunrise of 2022
Every year we like to get up early on New Year’s day and head to the beach to watch the first sunrise of the new year. It’s a little ritual to start the year, but unfortunately, it hasn’t always gone exactly according to plan. Last year, we couldn’t actually get to the beach, because of a strict covid lockdown, as it was outside the permissible distance. This year we did get there, but instead of a glorious sunrise, we were treated to stormy seas and winds. Not exactly what we were hoping for, but it led to some cool photos anyway.
The day started off kind of weird. We got up early, judging the time it would take to get up, reach the beach and still have time to shoot some photos in the twilight before the sun rose. Looking outside I could see and hear that there was quite a strong wind blowing, but the sky looked fairly clear. As I put on my Apple Watch I looked at the little temperature widget below the clock face. It said 15 degrees (Celsius).
“That can’t be right”, I thought.
But it was.
The last time we did this it was closer to zero. It’s never been this warm here on New Years day. It turns out it was the mildest New Year’s day on record.
Going outside and getting into the car you could feel how mild it was. It was more like late spring than the first of January. As we approached the sea side, I could already see that there was a cloud bank on the horizon that I knew would be trouble. The ideal conditions for a dramatic sunrise photoshoot are clouds overhead, but a clear horizon. This, unfortunately was the opposite.
We got to the little car park by the beach and pulled in. The strand at Sandymount is a well known walking spot in Dublin bay. When the tide is out, it leaves a large sand flat that people like to walk on. On this morning the high tide meant that the sea was in near the path that ran along side the beach, and was continuing to come in. The wind was sill gusting quite strongly, and out past the calmer shallows, you could see big waves and choppy seas.
I set up two cameras, and started shooting. One was my little Sony ZV-1 that I was using to get some video, and the other was my trusty Nikon D700. I shot some nice photos of the iconic power station that is on the far side of the bay, and noticed that the ferries to the UK were heading out. I followed them out to sea, trying to get as good a shot as I could. It was hard to focus and manage the camera in the wind. It wasn’t a dangerous level of winds or anything, but there were some strong gusts. The ferries heading into the rough seas made for some dramatic imagery, although I also imagine, quite a nauseous crossing.
It was about this time that a strong gust of wind blew over the tripod with my little ZV-1 on it. The tiny camera, and lightweight tripod were no match for an 80km gust, and with a gentle thud on the ground, the little Sony suffered a serious injury that would take it out of action for the rest of the morning. A knock to the barrel of the camera stopped the protective shutter from opening and closing and bent the metal frame of the barrel. It didn’t look like that dramatic a fall, but the Sony ZV-1 is very delicate. I’ve now learned the hard way, not to use a carbon fibre light weight tripod in the wind with a camera that offers no kind of ballast or balance.
As the sun began to rise, I could see that we weren’t going to get any kind of dramatic sunrise. The cloud bank on the horizon was going to block the sun and as the surrounding clouds turned red and yellow, the best we would get is some nice colours on the sea. Even so, I didn’t feel too disappointed. The dramatic waves and the ferries heading out into choppy waters still meant it was a successful trip, even though it probably would end up costing me in camera repair fees. Given everyone’s feelings about the previous two years, it would be easy to fall into the trap of seeing this a a portend, and a “here we go again” moment, but instead I chose to see the positive.
Or more like I forced myself to see the positive.
I got some good photos, and we get to wipe the slate clean and begin a new year. The clouds were on the horizon but I choose to believe that they are the clouds of the past and not a portent of doom for this year. I shouldn’t be too worried that 2022 sounds like twenty twenty too, right?
Photos taken on a Nikon D700. Processed in Lightroom and Photoshop. Prints and Image licences available. See here for available images, and contact for more details on licensing or prints
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