Being a commercial and industrial photographer invariably means that my cameras are with me most of the time. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that I can stop and take photographs at every opportunity as I am usually racing from one photoshoot to the next.
However, on a glorious morning in late April 2015, I was on my way to a 7am morning meeting on the seafront at Barry Island, driving through the winding lanes of the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales, UK. The sun had just started to peak out from behind the rolling hills and golden light was spreading across the land. Just before I reached the small village of Pendoylan, I turned another corner and the view of the rising sun and mist filled valleys was just too much and I pulled over next to a gate to a large field. As soon as I got out of the car I noticed how cold it was, but remained undeterred. Opening the boot and my large equipment rucksack, I got out my Canon 5D, quickly chose the settings I wanted with a large aperture and rested on the ice covered gate to steady myself.
Looking across the landscape towards the rising sun, I could see that the far-off tree filled fields were covered with low lying mist. Trees just poked their heads up through the grey. In the field before me were some sheep and the orange glowing sun was illuminating them from behind. It looked beautiful and my job was to try and capture the scene in a photograph.
On my travels, I often get asked by keen photographers for tips. The number one tip is always to have your camera with you as you just never know what opportunities you may see. Taking the photographs of that wonderful sunrise took around 15 minutes and I still made my 7am meeting on time. You never know when you will see something that will ignite your imagination and, even if you don’t have your special camera, use a mobile phone. Photographs are all about capturing moments in time that will never be repeated. There will be plenty more sunrises, but none exactly the same as that morning just outside Pendoylan in the Vale of Glamorgan and I have that captured in a photograph for ever.
A selection of the photographs of the sunrise just outside Pendoylan and other sunrises and sunsets can be seen on my website.
Paul Fears Photography 