As the summer continues… and my morning sunrise bike rides continue…
the need to be more & more creative with my sunrise photo composition keeps getting higher.
If the sunrise isn’t stunning enough on it’s own… sometimes I need to “help” it
with a little photo composition & design!

This weekend is the perfect weekend to “escape” from the city.
It is once again the annoyance on the lake known as the Air & Water Show.
Cluttering the lakefront with thousands & thousands of people. Closing the
bike trail and littering the lakefront. All to see some boats and a couple planes.
Here’s an idea – sit by a harbor or drive out to O’Hare… don’t ruin my lakefront!

Luckily, I’m headed north for the weekend to play with friends and celebrate
my friend Emily’s recent nuptials. No boats. No planes. Just friends.

A quiet moment on the lakefront. Simple. Serene.

But here’s the downside…
the sunrise may be beautiful, serene, inspirational and so much more every day!
However, with the overnight heat and stagnant air, it was amazing how fast the
swarms of gnats can invade a peaceful moment. Where are my “flocks” of dragonflies
when you need them! And yes, those are indeed gnats in the shot and not some groovy
pixelation filter breaking up the shot! Crazy… and quite annoying!

Natural inspriations… from another beautiful morning bike ride!

This morning was hot, humid… and the air was very thick.
I was already sweating as I stepped out the door. But it was worth it…

At one point, I even questioned if it was drizzling?!
Or could it just be the 6,000% humidity?

And when I turned around to pedal home, there were a lot of clouds brewing
out west and headed our way. Right now… about a half hour later, there’s a
typhoon going on outside!!! Glad I made it home before the sky opened up…

It was a big morning with a big sunrise!
The clouds were dramatic and kept changing the colors of the sky
as the sun continued to rise throughout the morning. Scroll down quickly
and you can almost see the sky change as I did this morning! And yes… I took
a LOT of photographs today – well over a hundred shots as the sky kept changing
and getting better. Just when you think you got it, it changed again… and again!
What a morning. What a ride. What a sunrise!

A note from my friend Barbara Finn…
You inquired earlier about those who wanted to continue to receive your early morning
musings and pictures. How about mixing it up a little with the occasional shot of the cityscape
catching the early rays of the sun or a shot from Olive Park.  Or something that reflects the
changing of the seasons from a particular spot so those of us who might be relocating from
this magnificent city would have a consistent photographic record of the different faces
of the city and environs.  I enjoy the shots of flowers that are sprinkled into the mix.
Still appreciating your pastel sunrises and dramatic morning skies.
And don’t mean to step on the art director’s spokes.

So here you go Barbara… an “occasional” sunrise shot with some Chicago “cityscape”
architecture”catching the early rays” instead of my bike! I found it intriguing how the
sunrise reflected off the green glass windows of the Oceanarium… with the Navy Pier
towers way off in the distance. You asked… and here you go!

So the morning photos can be spectacular too… even without my bike in the shot!
The boats at Monroe Harbor make a striking contrast to the ever-changing sunrise.

Another beautiful morning ride with a spectacular sunrise!
The colors were spectacular. The clouds were spectacular. My bike ride was spectacular!

Another five minutes… the sun’s a little higher…
I’ve pedaled a little further… very little… and the sunrise is still breathtaking!