Breaking Wave, Mornington Peninsula, VIC

THE STORY BEHIND THIS PHOTO

Some mornings are simply magic, and that day was one of them. The allure of capturing a pristine sunrise lured me out of bed early, with the determination to explore a new location on the enchanting Mornington Peninsula. I had no specific destination in mind, just a desire to chase the morning light and let my camera guide me.

My instinct led me to the shores of Westernport Bay, and it was a decision I would never regret. The morning was crisp and clear, promising a spectacular sunrise. The thought of witnessing the day's first light breaking over the horizon filled me with anticipation and excitement.

I arrived at a small, unassuming marina that had somehow eluded my previous explorations. The gentle lapping of the water against the boats, the distant murmur of people preparing to embark on their day's adventures, and the quiet solitude of the place set the perfect scene for what was to come.

My curiosity piqued, I decided to launch my drone, allowing it to ascend into the azure sky and grant me a bird's-eye view of the surroundings. As the drone hovered above, the landscape unfolded in breathtaking detail. The low tide had revealed a series of sandbanks, snaking their way into the bay, each one bearing its own unique shape and character.

Among the sinuous forms, one sandbank stood out with a graceful curve that seemed to beckon me. The drone's camera allowed me to approach it with precision, gradually lowering closer to the ground to capture the exact composition that had caught my eye. I was entranced by the sinuous beauty of that particular sandbank, its graceful lines seeming to dance with the patterns of light and shadow.

Little did I know that the true magic of this moment would be revealed later during post-processing. As I reviewed the images I had taken, it struck me that the composition worked even better in a vertical orientation, rather than the horizontal one I had originally envisioned. The curve of the sandbank took on a new level of elegance and charm in this format, creating a photograph that truly captured the essence of that serene morning.

The vertical composition emphasized the graceful curve, allowing the viewer's eye to flow seamlessly along its contours. The play of light and shadow on the sandbank seemed to come alive, and I realized that the image I had inadvertently created had a unique and captivating quality that made the moment even more special.

It was a lesson in the unpredictable art of photography, where sometimes, the best shots emerge when you least expect them. That morning at the hidden marina on the Mornington Peninsula became a memory I would cherish, not just for the stunning sunrise I witnessed but also for the serendipitous discovery of a sandbank's graceful curve, and the vertical composition that made it a work of art.