A sunrise does not make a great picture by itself. It only offers the light source and provides the coloration. It is up to the photographer to make use of that wonderfully warm light in a memorable way. The sunrise that morning in St. Malo was in and out of the clouds, and I could see immediately that any picture would be as much about the effect of light on the clouds and on the sea as the nature of the light itself. I shot continuously for nearly fifteen minutes during this sunrise. I was on a cruise ship anchored just offshore, and my position regarding the direction of the light was fixed. But as I shot, the coloration and intensity of the light changed constantly during those 15 minutes. Spot metering was essential, because I wanted to capture the richest colors, while abstracting both the city and the harbor. I metered on the most intense band of light in the picture – that bright yellow streak just behind the city’s buildings. The colors of the light on the sea and the clouds were remarkable. Traces of the houses can barely be seen coming through the black shadows. The closer I study this shot, the more I imagine I see. The image of this historic city becomes timeless. Aside from the design of the boats in the harbor, it could have been made in 1804, or 1904, as well as in 2004. Rare are images you can look at again and again without tiring of it. This is one of those images – and it’s all because of the light and how I was able to use it.