Always Look On The Bright Side

You Could Call This A Self-Portrait, I Guess

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Some weeks ago, I was at work really early and I could see by the colours in the pre-dawn sky that it was going to be a magnificent sunrise. I took a few shots immediately and then returned to the same window about ten minutes later to take another half-dozen or so frames. You know how I always advise other photographers to look around and not become obsessed with a single point of view? Well, I followed my own rule and saw this near-perfect silhouette.

The summer sun was so bright and so intense (yes it's summer here in Australia) that the glow of the reflection was perfect. As you can see, I was very fortunate because this particular section of our floor was being extensively refurbished. The work crew had left a ladder beside a group of desks and when I turned away from the sunrise, this was exactly what I saw.

It was a strange feeling, because I'm not used to including myself in a frame. Still, it was too good an opportunity to miss. What you see to the left of my face is the camera strap. And of course you know that I never crop or enhance my photos, so what you see here is exactly what I saw through the lens that morning.

Look carefully at the image and you'll see faint parallel lines across the wall. They're the reflection from the horizontal blinds at the window facing the sun. As a pure and simple lucky image, I reckon I'll never score better than this off-the-cuff shot.