Dawn walk
Seven stops over 95 minutes from civil dawn through golden-hour close.
Pre-walk
Sun rises at ENE (62°). Subjects north of the sun line catch early side-light; subjects east of you go silhouette.
Stops · 7 over 90 minutes
sun 58° ENE · altitude -5.4°
Pre-sunrise water birds against the breakwall. Lake silhouettes.
Light: Sun below horizon. Open eastern sky for blue-hour silhouettes.
Point camera N for side light. Avoid pointing ENE (sun in lens).Subject bearing 0° N.
Exposure: ISO 3200-6400 · f/2.8-4 · 1/250s+
sun 61° ENE · altitude -2.9°
Canopy warblers in the cottonwoods. Listen first, locate second.
Light: Civil dawn light, no direct sun yet. Bump ISO; backlit silhouettes only.
Point camera E for front light.Subject bearing 90° E.
Exposure: ISO 3200-6400 · f/2.8-4 · 1/250s+
sun 64° ENE · altitude +0.4°
Sora in the cattails. Marsh wrens working the edge.
Light: Sun ~ENE at ~5° altitude. Side-lit subjects facing north. Best frame of the morning.
Point camera N for side light. Avoid pointing ENE (sun in lens).Subject bearing 0° N.
Exposure: ISO 1600-3200 · f/4-5.6 · 1/500s
sun 67° ENE · altitude +2.9°
Gulls loafing on pilings. Terns hunting the marina mouth.
Light: Sun ~ENE at ~9° altitude. Warm front-light if you face west. Avoid east-facing shots.
Point camera W for backlit silhouettes. Avoid pointing ENE (sun in lens).Subject bearing 270° W.
Exposure: ISO 1600-3200 · f/4-5.6 · 1/500s
sun 69° ENE · altitude +5.5°
Migrants over open water. Silhouette compositions only.
Light: Sun in the frame. Switch to silhouette mode. Do not shoot east.
Point camera E for front light.Subject bearing 90° E.
Exposure: ISO 1600-3200 · f/4-5.6 · 1/500s
sun 71° ENE · altitude +8.2°
Songbirds feeding on ripening mulberries. Tight close-ups.
Light: Sun at your back if you face W/NW. Last clean light of the morning.
Point camera WNW for backlit silhouettes. Avoid pointing ENE (sun in lens).Subject bearing 290° WNW.
Exposure: ISO 400-1600 · f/5.6-8 · 1/1000s
sun 74° ENE · altitude +10.9°
Cormorants and gulls perching on the abandoned ore unloaders. Industrial frame + bird.
Light: Sun high enough to harden. Shoot ruins backlit for graphic shape, or wait for clouds.
Point camera W for backlit silhouettes. Avoid pointing ENE (sun in lens).Subject bearing 270° W.
Exposure: ISO 400-1600 · f/5.6-8 · 1/1000s
Return
Golden hour ends 6:45 am. Light hardens quickly past +6° altitude. Head for the car by 7:13 am; back at the parking lot by 7:23 am.
Stop placement is photographer-domain reasoning, not field-validated. Worth one morning to ground-truth.
Exposure hints assume 400mm at moderate distance on a perched bird. Adjust to your lens and subject.