Waking up before the sun rises is always worth it, but never an easy thing for us to do. Still on European time we woke up at 5AM, the equivalent of waking up at noon in London. Home at last in Arizona, jet lagged and sleep deprived, we awoke before the sun to the sound of rain. Finding it difficult to go back to sleep we thought it would be a grand idea to take the opportunity to drive out to Canyon Lake, despite the wet weather in hopes of a beautiful sunrise. One thing is certain about Arizona, rain is rare and doesn’t last long – knowing this we figured we’d have a fairly decent shot to photograph the dramatic sky as it unfolded above the larger than life landscape of the Superstition Mountains.

We made our way along the US60 past the sleepy town of Apache Junction, where we caught the old highway 88 towards the lake. As we made our way through the desert the clouds lit up, masking the sun, and splashing the desert with an incandescent glow. We arrived on a breathtaking hilltop overlooking the lake, but to our dismay the surrounding mountains blocked out the entire sunrise leaving the sky and water a murky grey. Disgruntled at the scenery we were forced back into the car, returning the way we came hoping for the opportunity for a good shot before getting back home. As luck would have it on our way back to the highway we passed and quaint old church. It was at this moment the sky chose to open up giving Kyle a small window of time to capture our shot of the church; sun bursting through the clouds and the Superstition Mountains in the background. The camera had to be aimed through a gap in the wire fence amidst a sea of surveillance signs, while avoiding the nearby construction equipment and houses, not an easy feat. This was the result

If it weren’t for the jet lag, this shot would not have been possible. It feels strange to witness a desert sunrise, when 32 hours earlier we were watching same sun rise above the rainy English countryside.
Xo
K&M