Early Morning Magic on Lake Wheeler

Some shoots are worth the early wake-up call.

My wife and I took our 1974 Ski Nautique out on Lake Wheeler for sunrise a couple weeks ago. I got a permit from the City of Raleigh to shoot photos and videos on the lake for a project so thought I would grab some personal pictures while I was there.

I wanted a low angle shot of the boat to emphasize the speed so I found a rock on the shoreline to setup on. She fired up the Nautique and made a few full throttle passes right as the sun broke the horizon. From my low angle in the water, every ripple and reflection was magnified, making the classic boat look and feel much faster.

Everything clicked on about the third pass when we finally figured out the framing, distance and light.

Most of my time behind a camera these days is spent shooting photos and videos for clients around Raleigh, so projects like this are a reminder to slow down and create something just for the sake of being creative.