I love when I am just going about my business and a beautiful moment presents itself to me. Unexpected and unplanned, many times I am unprepared to capture that moment with my camera. This past Tuesday’s sunrise caused a slight deviation from my morning’s plans, i.e. getting a super early start to my workday, but it was a fun series of events and impromptu decisions that resulted in photographs of a sunrise that was not only spectacularly beautiful, but completely unexpected!
On Tuesdays, I am on the road all day for work, visiting multiple customers. The sooner I start my day, the sooner I finish. And it helps that I am habitually a very early morning riser. This past week, I got up at my normal time and headed out the door at 6:30 a.m. with a plan to stop at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and hit the Northway before the traffic got heavy.
As soon as I got to the end of my street, I was presented with the gorgeous sky as seen in the two photos above. I was only a few hundred yards from home, so I did a U-turn and raced back to grab my camera. Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry that I gave no regard to the black ice that was everywhere, and fell in verrrrrrry slow motion, landing on my back and slamming my head on a small snow bank. Stupid, stupid. I knew better than to be so careless.
After laying there for a few seconds, I was surprised to discover that I was okay, other than experiencing a mind-numbing horror that someone may have seen my less than graceful tumble. Happily, I don’t think anyone was around.
![sun (12).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun20281229.jpg)
I grabbed my camera and decided to hunt down the perfect spot to photograph what was shaping up to be a stunning sunrise.
Instead of getting on the Northway as was the plan, I headed to Route 29 and started driving east, quickly and desperately searching for a perfect place to pull off the road and capture the scene that was unfolding in the sky.
![sun (4).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun2028429.jpg)
Unfortunately, anywhere there was an open view, there was no safe place to pull over and, anytime that there was a parking lot or area that seemed suitable for parking, the view was obstructed by trees and power lines. I was starting to panic that I would miss the most beautiful colors, and was about to turn around and give up. Then I decided that I felt like I was being pulled toward something special, and that I should keep going a little bit further.
![sun (6).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun2028629.jpg)
About 2 mins later, I came to Schuyler Pond which was obviously not open at this early hour and offered me a perfectly safe parking lot. And…best part? Across the street was the open, unobstructed palette of reds, oranges, pinks and lavenders I had been hoping to find. It was PERFECT. I was stunned.
![sun (5).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun2028529.jpg)
![sun (9).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun2028929.jpg)
I stood at the side of the road and took over 100 photos. I realize many of these (well, most of them, actually) look very similar, but I wanted to share all the changes in color and light that I was so lucky to be standing there witnessing.
![sun (11).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun20281129.jpg)
As the sky continued to lighten, the colors started to fade, but this made them no less beautiful. Just more of a pastel rather than the intense colors from earlier. I was glad to be there for all of the changes. It really was magical, spiritual, wondrous…however you choose to describe it, that is what I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph.
![sun (8).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun2028829.jpg)
Finally, I went back to the car to head for work, but not before a few more shots of the final moments before the sun broke over the horizon.
![sun (7).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun2028729.jpg)
![sun (3).jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/03/sun2028329.jpg)
And, yes, I was totally stuck in the backed-up traffic on the Northway by getting a later start than was my plan, but I honestly could not have cared less given the breathtaking reason for my tardiness. It was awesome.