Mountain Dawn Magic

Estrela NP. Portugal.

At 4h30m am, I was under dawn light, the soft blue light that allowed me to observe without a flashlight. I got up the tent and began to study compositions before Sunrise.

The mountain peak called "Cântaro Gordo" and the natural glacial lagoon reflecting it is a magical place, located in the very heart of Estrela mountain range.

From where I shot this scene, one observes the big red ball rising above the horizon, at the same time it starts to illuminate the mountain with the day´s first light.

Spring colors at it´s maximum, the lack of wind, clear skies and approaching the summer solstice were essential for the comp.

I went alone deep in the mountains, hiking for about 4 hours. I barely slept. The lake had so much life that the frog´s singing didn´t stop for a second. In total, the trip amounted to 700 km of road, about in a total of 20 hours, of which I photographed the "magic" light during 15 minutes, the duration of the red lit sunrise mountain.


Image made in 2009/Spring. Larger Version available (900pix not to compromise compression loss of quality), check please. All thoughts appreciated. Thanks all.


D300,tripod, grip, bubble level, cable release
1 shot exposed for 1s f/13.0 at 12.0mm