Sumatra Sunrise Reflections

After weeks of photographing orangutans in the Sumatran mountains on Indonesia, I had taken a much needed break on the southeastern coast of the island. Unfortunately, the time I could spend there was limited as the rainy season was soon to begin. It was still a dry period but the clouds were beginning to form up during the morning and evening hours. Clouds over the equatorial Pacific have their own unique characteristics and forms during these hours. They almost appear to be painted into the sky and slowly change their shapes as the hover over the waters. Such were the conditions as I positioned on the shoreline during the sunrise. The seas were dead calm (a rarity) producing a mirrored surface to reflect the clouds floating above. If it were not for the line of rocks extending out to see it would be difficult to tell if the composition was right side up or upside down. As the clouds were moving in slow motion I could shoot when the sun was in the best position and then spend a lot of time just sitting on a rock and experiencing the feeling I got from the scene before me.

Done