One thing I learned about photography is to get up early to catch that beautiful low angle light, also known as the golden hour. If you’re new to photography or looking to improve your photos, resist the temptation to sleep in and get out there bright and early. I guarantee that you will find something interesting to shoot, and your shots will look much better than if you were shooting during the day. Just make sure the sky is not completely cloudy before you leave, or you will not get the same effect.

OK, on to the picture at hand. While my wife and I were staying near the Badlands National Park in SD, we woke up early to beat the crowds and capture some images for the time lapse video we were working on. I couldn’t resist taking a moment to capture this shot while my wife was soaking up the warm morning sun along with a grand view of the surreal landscape. There wasn’t much color in the original photograph since I was shooting in to the sun, so I opted for the black and white and I think it works very well.