Sunrise Just Hits Differently in the North
The warmth of my bed hugged me, saying, "Stay here, forever. I'll keep you warm and comfortable." And, boy, how I wanted to stay under my covers and look out my window at the sunrise, but I was here for an assignment, not vacation.
Blue hour over the snowy Norwegian landscape. Photo by Dalton Johnson
Base layer, normal layer, puffy layer, the shells, and, finally, tucking my gloves into my pockets. I shoulder my camera and left the comforts my cruise ship room behind. It was still dark outside, but the sun would soon shine. I stopped for some much needed caffeine and warmth.
Looking out the frozen window, I knew it would be cold outside. While I am used to working in the cold, overcoming the mental barrier to step away from comfort into the cold is never easy.
After a few sips, I accepted my reality and headed outside.
Looking out the frozen window at the golden glow of sunrise hits the snowy Norwegian mountain. Photo by Dalton Johnson
The door slid open and I walked out on the frozen deck of Havila Voyages ship, gloves on. The wind slugged my chest and my eyes watered, then froze from cold. It wasn't long before the clouds turned from blue to orange, but the cold was seeping through the souls of my shoes.
I focused on the snow covered mountains changing colors with the light in the distance.
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Pulling my camera to my face, making sure not to push the aluminum body to my skin, giving me frost bite, I searched for different angles and compositions. Snap, walk. Snap, snap, move. Wandering the different levels of the ship, I tried my best to find interesting images I could return home and be proud to share. Frame after frame, the cold never went away. But, I am here to take images. This is my job, after all.
As the ship continued north, a city came into view. We wouldn't dock here, not today. But, I hope in the future I will return on my own schedule to the frozen Norwegian landscape.
By this time, my hands barely closed and pushing the shutter button was painful. Breakfast was waiting for me inside. Warmth was waiting for me inside. Yet, I wasn't ready to put the camera down and leave this landscape or the colors.
