Three Risings

Here in Southern California we are typically under a cloud for a month or more at the end of Spring and beginning of Summer. The cloud is called a Marine Layer (For more information, see http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/ocean/marine.htm). The mist laying over the Pacific coast in the mornings usually dissipates in the afternoons.

The misty cloud cover keeps the daily temperatures down and provides a refreshing cooling effect, effectively prolonging the time before the full heat of summer bears down on the land. It is not helpful to the landscape photographer however, since there is no cloud definition. A landscape photograph with a monotonous gray sky is as boring as a clear blue dome of sky. A good landscape photograph usually needs at least a sprinkling of clouds.

The sunrise photographs in this post were made on three successive mornings from Mount Rubidoux after the Marine Layer ended in 2009. Click on a photo to view a larger version.

6/29/09 5:44am

6/29/09 5:50am

6/29/09 6:19am

6/30/09 5:52am

6/30/09 5:53am

6/30/09 5:55am

7/1/09 5:38am

7/1/09 5:48am

7/1/09 5:48am

7/1/09 5:52am

7/1/09 5:54am

7/1/09 6:00am

7/1/09 6:14am