Sunrise at the Church

After a busy night shooting the lupins at sunset and then being on a high and not getting to sleep until well after midnight, I decided when I awoke with a start just after 4am, that I might as well get up and going again. Really burn the candle at both ends. I had another shoot on my ‘must do’ list. Lake Tekapo’s Church of the Good Shepherd at sunrise.

But first I took a look outdoors, I do that most mornings early anyway, just in case the most amazing sky is about to appear and I miss it. If it's overcast there's no point in going any further, I might just as well head back to bed (or write another blog), if it’s a clear sparkly sky there's probably no point either. But if there are fluffy patches of clouds, or streaks of the white stuff, then there’s every chance it’s going to be an amazing sunrise (or sunset).

My phone app told me sunrise was at 6:05am so initially I was thinking that as long as I got there by about 5:30am I’d be alright but I’d overlooked how early the ‘blue hour’, a period of twilight before the golden hour of sunrise, begins. Luckily I was ahead of schedule, this photo was taken at 5am.

It is said that the church is the most photographed place in New Zealand and after spending a week in and around the town I can quite believe it is so.

Even at this early hour there were half a dozen photographers lining up to shoot. Although I have to say that I got the jump on them all and was first to arrive. Now why doesn’t that surprise me.

Once the blues and pinks of twilight disappeared the fiery oranges and reds of sunrise lit up the sky.

The clouds reflected the colours beautifully.

Then slowly the colours bled away…(I had to have at least one lupin shot didn’t I)

And the tawny colours of the dry stone and tussocks return to the scene.

Thick grey cloud rolls in from the west and blankets the town. It’s 6:15am when I take this last photo and get ready to leave. Photographers are still arriving to capture the church at ‘sunrise’. They’re way too late for the show.