I don’t often photograph sunrises and sunsets.  I’ve got file folders full of color slides from my early years of photography, many of which are trees, grain bins, and other objects silhouetted against the purple or orange sky of sunrises and sunsets.  They’re very nice, but I’m tired of them.  These days, when the sky lights up with color, I’m usually trying to capture the reflection of that colorful light on prairie wildflowers, grasses, and insects.

Last week, however, while I was in the Nebraska Sandhills, I was climbing up a steep hill just before sunrise and noticed a band of haze along the horizon.  Knowing that the sun would appear huge and red as it rose through that haze, I found a nice vantage point, got out my telephoto lens and waited.  And then I photographed the sunrise.  No silhouettes; just a simple celebration of a spectacular prairie landscape.

Sunrise over the Sandhillls. Cherry County, Nebraska.

I’m not sure there’s a better way to start a day.