Paul Sears Photography: Shooting in Early Morning

This past Sunday (when the sun finally came out again in LA), I woke up early and headed up the coast about an hour to La Piedra Beach just north of Malibu. I've been wanting to try and catch the early morning light up there for a while. It was well worth leaving the house around 6:30am. The long light just after sunrise was perfect, providing warm highlights and fantastic directional lighting on the rock formations and wildlife.

The photo gurus always say, if you're going to use natural light, then shoot just after sunrise or just before sunset. They're right. Compared to shooting mid-day when the light is harsh and overwhelming, the subtle angled light of early morning is wonderful. On the three shots below, notice how the directional lighting provides dramatic contrast and warm highlights.