In my first attempt to organize a Royal Oak Photography Group Meetup, I was hoping to make it something appealing and also something I can think about technically and learn from. After a few failed ideas like graffiti on highway bridges (too dangerous), portraits of the ghetto (possible loss of life), and stop-action photography of a national chess championship (just plain retarded), I had always wanted to get into what skills and techniques were needed to successfully shoot a sunrise. Ok, easy enough right? Well, yes and no.

In the planning stages, I had to decide a location. I remembered my phrase, “the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west”. It is the number two memorable phrase right after “righty-tighty, lefty loosey” . I know Metro Beach faces east, so I go ahead and post my Meetup in anticipation of the nice weather forecasted for that weekend. Cool! As the day moves on, the responses come trickling through my email as I check my phone at intervals throughout the day. Before I know it, I have 10 shutterbugs willing to get up early on a potentially hungover Saturday morning to shoot. Awesome.

I get an email from a member (props to radtke) of the group telling me that Metro Beach actually faces south. Uh-Oh! I planned this without getting all technical about where we were going to actually stand and take these shots. I envisioned a group of groggy people showing up all ready to go and I am without a clear, unobstructed view of the horizon. It would have been the blind leading the blind. The email I received mentioned a great spot called Huron Pointe in the park with a perfect view, but to get out there, it would require a 15-20 minute walk. This type of a hike would be great for me, but may not be too cool for the rest of the crew…hmmm

I went in to do a little work on how I could make my Meetup a success. I show up to Metro beach the day before determined to find an answer. I arrive to a ghostown version of the park with nothing in the distance of the vast parking lot but some scattered pigeons. Where to start? I drive down to an area with boats that is near a paved path that circles the park. I stumble upon some older folks enjoying each other’s company in lawn chairs near their boat. I interrupt their conversation (a desperate move) to ask if they had seen the sunset this morning. A woman in the group used her inner compass (better than mine) to point in the direction of the rising sun, but it was obstructed by trees, houses, and other boats. Dammit! A gentleman interjected and told me to go to the front office and talk to the park director as he pointed across the sea of concrete that was the parking lot. “Tell him Symphony Sam sent you” he shouted as I walked back to my car. I made it to the office and was granted access to the service road that takes you in to Huron Pointe, with a park police escort to boot!

I made an immediate post when I got home to the group and any stress caused by my poor planning melted away. The next morning I pick up Amy, grab some Starbucks, and we made the trek east. After arriving, I was pleased to see all the early risers dedicated to the art of photography all bundled up and ready to go. We get on our service road guided by Metro Beach‘s Finest and the choirs sang as a gorgeous, cloud-free orange/blue sky set the tone for a fantastic shoot. I took some shots and looked around taking a bite of my pumpkin scone with a sense of pleasure as everything turned out fine. Thank you Symphony Sam!

Thanks to those that came out! I hope to be planning some other cool stuff to add to the ROPG calendar of already cool events! Keep shooting and I’ll see you on the next one…
-D