First Light

There is nothing quite like witnessing the touch of the first rays of light on the earth - those soft pulses as the sun quietly makes it's ascent over the mountains until the landscape is washed anew with clean, warm washes of colour. This is my favourite time of the day - in the quietness, the stillness, before even the birds have woken to welcome in the day with their songs of joy... and I watch God's promises being fulfilled, as He coaxes a new day into being, providing light and life - the warm colours of the morning reflecting the warmth of His love.
The ride through Alton Downs is one I reserve for the days where I have the time to take it all in. Clipping into my bike cleats and surging forward with a few powerful strokes past the last set of traffic lights of Rockhampton city, I breath a sigh of relief as I head into the blackness. Gradually, the city air filling my lungs is replaced with fresh, life-giving oxygen - the kind that only comes from the country. The beautiful Australian bush surrounds me, just starting to become visible as dawn begins to lighten the atmosphere. The morning mist begins to clear, and the fresh smell of the Aussie gums fills my heart with the joy of the familiar. This is home.
As my ride takes my through the bush, past the fields with old homesteads dotting the countryside, along the smooth concrete road lined with majestic, ancient tree-giants, the sun makes it's journey over the mountaintops in the distance and into the sky. This is the moment I have chosen to capture - the moment when the Australian countryside is flooded with fresh, warm light. The last of the morning dew twinkles in the fields before the heat of the day takes it away. Still sitting low, the shadows cast by the sun's light add interest and accent the old timber fence and few gums scattered across the plain. The emphasis on the light comes from the strong, vibrant strokes of titanium white and deep yellow, highlighting the freshness of the day, giving hope of a new beginning, and adding joy to the viewer's heart in the same way the light of each new dawn and the promises they remind me of brings a joy to my own.