AT Dawn: The Perfect Photograph

Meredith, a budding, amateur photographer, was determined to win the high school Sunrise Photography Competition. Success was important to her. After all, how else could she impress her good-looking, single instructor?

Meredith patiently searched the lake area around her home, until she found a good location to take a sunrise picture. Perched high on the rusty-looking rocks, the early morning sunrise reflected beautifully in the clear, azure waters of the large, mountain lake. It was almost romantic.

"All I need to do now is to try to capture the perfect photograph." 

Meredith knew that taking a perfect photograph of the rising sun was not necessarily going to be easy. She was just learning the secrets of good photography and recalled her instructor's words, "Timing is everything."

"The sun rose so quickly this morning," Meredith thought to herself. "I almost missed it. With any kind of photography, getting the right lighting is so important!" she reminded herself, as she headed homeward after taking just one photograph of the rising sun.

"I am going to take another sunrise photograph in the same place tomorrow. If necessary, I will capture the sunrise on film every single day, until I get the results that I am looking for."

The next morning, while she waited patiently for the sun to come up, there was no sunrise, as it turned out to be a damp, drizzly day, with heavy fog that almost over-powered her enthusiasm. She was cold and wet, as well as frustrated.

The following day just before dawn broke, it started to pour and she did not even go to the lake.

"So much for my best efforts."

That same afternoon, her instructor asked all of the amateur photographers to show their first attempts at taking a picture of a sunrise. Of the thirty students, Meredith and one other young man named Todd, were the only two in the class who had even ventured out before the sun got up, to try to capture a sunrise.

"Not bad at all," the instructor said to Todd, who immediately showed his photograph of the rising sun peaking out from behind a large piece of driftwood. "The problem here is that your photograph focuses more on the piece of driftwood than it does on the sunrise," he said. "I would probably entitle your photograph, Driftwood."

Todd was embarrassed and disappointed.

The instructor moved closer to Meredith, who started to blush.

"Let's see your photograph," the instructor said to her. He knew that many young, amateur photographers were extremely shy and very reluctant to show their work for fear of negative criticism.

"It is not as good as Todd's," replied Meredith, hesitantly.

The instructor waited patiently while she mustered enough courage to show him the sunrise photograph she had taken.

"Beautiful!" exclaimed her instructor. "This is excellent work!"

Meredith was amazed at his response.

"Actually, this is exactly the kind of sunrise photograph that I am looking for."

The instructor took her photograph up to the front to show the class.

"Meredith, you have set the bar high for the Sunrise Photography Competition. This is the perfect photograph for that."

As she was about to leave the room later, her instructor waited to speak to her.

"I love the location of your sunrise photograph. Perhaps you would be willing to take the whole class out there at dawn one of these mornings," he said, with a warm smile. "Or maybe take just a few of us?"