Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of shooting the sunrise at the Chicago Botanic Garden.  I am not normally a "morning person" but when Tony and Chris, fellow photo club friends, called to see if I would meet them at the Garden at 5:45 a.m., I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  I didn't even know you could get into the Garden at that early hour!  After a cup of coffee to wake me up and bundling up in many layers, I was off to meet my friends.  It was beautiful and serene at that hour at the Garden and surprisingly there were a number of walkers and joggers there enjoying the dawn.  The sky was still dark and the moon still visible when we set off to the Japanese Garden, a perfect place to witness both sunrise or sunset.  

  I started on the west side of the Japanese Garden, facing the sunrise for a few shots.

It's always interesting to see another photographer's way of seeing.  Tony and Chris moved to the eastern side of the Japanese Garden and rather than shooting to the east to capture the sunrise, were capturing the beautiful light that the sunrise reflected to the west.  I joined them there and we watched the sky to the west light up with lovely pinks.

I love this old willow tree and have photographed it many times from different perspectives, at different times of the year.  It reminds me of the tree in Harry Potter and I always imagine it coming alive.

Oh, and I learned that the best part of shooting sunrise at the Garden is that you get to have a delicious breakfast in the Garden Cafe afterwards! Maybe I could become a "morning person" after all.