Seeing red up the Folly

 

Last Friday, I walked out of my house at 5.30 am, looked up at the sky above and cursed. There was a thin layer of cloud - it was not supposed to be there as the weather forecast had been for clear skies. I loaded my car up with my camera equipment and started to wonder whether it was worth trying for a sunrise, and perhaps I would instead go and get some breakfast at Greggs.

I drove up the hill from my house, and as I stopped at the junction at the end of my street, I glanced towards the eastern horizon. Just in that brief moment, I saw red.  Now that gave me a real glimmer of hope, sunrise was not due for another forty-five minutes. The odds were now that the sun might make an appearance after all and break through the clouds.

I love photographing sunrises, so I only needed a little encouragement and seeing a bit of red was all I needed to make the decision to head up to Folly in Pontypool and hope that lady luck would show me some favour.

Excitedly, I made my way through Pontypool Town and then travelled up the steep Folly Lane that leads to the top of the hill where the Folly is located. I stepped out of my car to an amazing sight. The rising sun remained below the eastern horizon, and it was backlighting the clouds with vibrant orange and red colours. In the half-light, the old stone wall, the lonely beech tree and the Folly tower were beautifully silhouetted.

I set up by the lonely beech tree and quickly put my drone into the air. One thing I have learned over the years is that quite often, the pre-dawn skies are better for photography than the actual moment the sun rises.  The light can be fantastic, and the skies can turn truly magical colours.

The skies can also change minute by minute, so you need to keep your wits about you and look around in every direction, as you never know what you may miss.

Unexpectedly, I suddenly noticed that a man was standing right next to me, on the other side of the fence in the field where the Welsh Black cattle are. Like me, he was looking up at the sky in wonder. We started talking, and I told him about my passion for photography and birds, and he shared with me that he was the local farmer and also was interested in the wildlife that inhabits the land he farms. It was great to have a chat and share the sunrise with someone who works the land but also loves it, and took the time to be friendly and just stop and marvel at the wonderful place we live in.

Sunrise was quickly approaching, so we said our goodbyes, and I concentrated on getting some more pictures and video using the drone.

The sun rose higher, and despite the skies turning bright red and orange, it was hiding behind a veil of cloud.

Eventually, it did show a little as the sun rose further and the day finally broke.

My spirit is always lifted by a good sunrise, and as the sun disappeared again behind the veil, it was a signal for me to pack up my kit and head back to the car.

I had a second destination to travel to that morning, my beloved Goldcliff Lagoons and hopefully lots of birds.