The first thing that struck me was the early morning soft light. The pre-dawn sky was a wash of soft pastels, a gentle gradient of blues and pinks that hinted at the rising sun. It was a delicate, almost ethereal quality, a stark contrast to the rugged, almost alien landscape before me.
I wanted to capture that sense of otherworldliness, that feeling of being on a distant, forgotten shore. The rock formations, with their swirling patterns and eroded textures, looked like something sculpted by the wind and sea over millennia. It was a landscape that felt both ancient and timeless.
The soft, diffused light was crucial for revealing the subtle variations in colour and texture. It allowed me to capture the delicate hues of the rock, the way the pinks and reds blended with the whites and greys. I wanted to show the viewer the intricate details of the formations, the way the layers of rock seemed to flow and undulate like waves.
The distant island, a dark silhouette against the brightening horizon, added a sense of depth and perspective. It provided a sense of context, a reminder of the broader seascape surrounding Milos. The subtle variations in colour and the way the light touched the island, added a sense of atmosphere.
Compositionally, I wanted to create a sense of scale, to show the vastness of the landscape. I used the rock formations to lead the eye towards the horizon, to create a sense of depth and perspective. The gentle curve of the rocks and the way they flowed towards the sea, added a sense of movement to the scene.
The challenge lay in balancing the delicate colours of the sunrise with the starkness of the landscape. I used the horizon line to anchor the composition, allowing the eye to wander across the undulating rock formations and the vast expanse of the sea. It was a delicate dance of light and shadow, a technical puzzle I sought to solve in order to share the magic of that Milos sunrise.
