Your Take Today: Paste BN's top reader photo
Your Take contributor Michael Seeley saw this gorgeous sunrise from his backyard and marveled at how big the sky is.
"I was standing on a very dewy lawn for 15-20 minutes waiting for the sky to develop, fiddling with camera settings," he says.
Seeley says he realized he was rather cold and forgot his jacket, but he knew if he ran inside he would miss peak color.
"I really enjoy the technical aspects of photography in terms of understanding how to best capture and expose an image," he says. "But for me, the real fun comes from trying to interpret a 3D, often-moving object to a frame with very finite limits."
"The color of the sky is so compelling, but it's the tree line and the reflection of the tree line that I'm drawn to."
He captured this shot last week in Melbourne, Fla., using a Canon EOS 7D with a Canon 17-40L lens. He used Lightroom to increase the clarity and vibrance, keeping the white balance the same.
Seeley says he is strictly an amateur photographer, but he has always loved visual arts and has always owned a camera. He remembers making his first major purchase (a Polaroid instant camera) with money he won from a dime slot machine on a ferry when he was 9.
"When I look at a photo on a screen and feel something, especially something I didn't feel (or may have just missed) while I was taking the picture — that's almost magical."
Seeley says he dedicates this picture to his dog, Samantha. "She woke me up because she wanted to be fed, and she wouldn't let me ignore her," he says. "I acquiesced, but before I got too far I noticed the early stages of this sunrise developing, so I grabbed my camera and told Sam she needed to wait."
"She was not pleased."
Check out more of Seeley's photography on his Twitter and Flickr accounts.
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