Earther Kit

Soft Hues That Herald An Autumn Dawn

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It was just one of those mellow mornings, so typical of a Melbourne autumn day. There was a clear sky, a single star and a crescent moon as darkness receded.

It was a cool morning, but the temperature was bracing rather than hostile. It was not as sharp as the previous morning and it was still at least a fortnight early for those typical Melbourne frosts.

But even before the sun rose, something about the gentle colours below the silver schooner of the moon nudged me towards my camera bag. I deliberately used the overhanging branches of a nearby plane tree as a motif for the top of the frame, but in reality the gentle skyscape needed nothing to emphasise it.


I put the camera away and went about the myriad early-morning tasks. About fifteen minutes later I looked out of a high window and spotted this light dusting of cloud on the horizon.

Yes, these images were shot on Wednesday April 22, better known as Earth Day. It was a perfect validation from Nature that sometimes delicate hues can be just as striking as bold, bright sunrises. Sometimes we need to be reminded of these subtleties.


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