Chasing Sunrise in Sedona: Photography, Movement, Friendship

Some of the best days start long before the sun comes up.

This one started around 4:30 in the morning, driving through the switchbacks of Oak Creek Canyon in complete darkness.

If you've ever driven those roads, you know how winding they are. Doing it in total darkness while trying to make it to Sedona in time for sunrise was exhilarating, to say the least. 😂

But I was headed there to meet a friend for something I love—getting outside, hiking, moving, doing some AcroYoga, taking photographs, and spending some real quality time connecting with myself and a good friend.

It was one of those days that fueled my fire.

Getting There Before the Sun

We made it to our spot in time to watch the morning begin.

And I'm so glad we did.

I had my camera, my phone, beautiful scenery in front of me, and nowhere else I needed to be in that moment.

So I started capturing it.

One of the coolest things I noticed that morning came simply from staying in one place long enough.

The colors didn't just change over the course of the morning.

They changed within minutes.

Soft pinks and purples gave way to warmer oranges and golds. As the sun moved higher, the clouds, mountains, and landscape seemed to take on completely different personalities.

The location hadn't changed.

We hadn't moved.

The light had.

And suddenly I had photographs from the same morning that looked like they could have been taken under completely different conditions.

One Sunrise. Different Moments.

The softer light at the beginning of the morning created one feeling.

Only a short time later, the changing angle of the sun brought completely different colors into the landscape.

And then the interaction between the sunlight, clouds, and landscape changed everything again.

That's something photography has taught me to appreciate more and more:

Don't always rush to the next place.

Sometimes there's more to see exactly where you already are.

Same Moment. Different Camera. Completely Different Photograph.

I discovered something else that morning that fascinated me.

I was capturing photographs with both my phone and my camera, sometimes photographing essentially the same scene from the same place.

The results could be dramatically different.

Different sensors. Different lenses and glass. Different ways of processing light, color, and detail.

It really is kind of mind-blowing when you see the photographs next to each other.

One might capture the lighting and colors in a way that I love, while another gives me beautiful detail.

Neither one necessarily has to be the "better" photograph.

They're simply different interpretations of the same moment.

That's made me appreciate having more than one way to capture something when I can. It gives me options later when I sit down and look through everything I've photographed.

Sometimes the photograph that speaks to me most isn't the one I expected.

Those are the images I eventually bring into Lightroom and spend time with—enhancing the things that made me love the photograph in the first place.

And Then There Was the Headstand...

Of course, taking beautiful photographs wasn't the entire reason we were there.

I wanted to move.

At one point I decided this gorgeous spot would be the perfect place to capture myself doing a headstand.

My nervous system apparently had other plans. 😂

It wasn't happening.

And that's okay.

My friend, on the other hand?

She nailed hers.

She definitely gets the props for that one.

And I actually love that this became part of the memory too. Not everything has to go perfectly for an experience to be amazing.

Sometimes you try.

Sometimes your body says not today.

Sometimes your friend absolutely crushes it instead and you get to celebrate her.

Hiking, AcroYoga & Finally Getting It

Later, after the photographs and the hike, we got some AcroYoga in.

There were movements we'd been working on that we finally managed to get down that day.

And that felt amazing.

There's something incredibly rewarding about working on a movement that doesn't come immediately, trying again, communicating with another person, making adjustments—and finally feeling everything click.

It's one of the things I love about movement.

It's not always about being good at something.

Sometimes it's simply about playing, challenging yourself, and experiencing what your body can do.

Fueling My Fire

Looking back, that's what this entire day really was.

Nature.

Movement.

Photography.

Friendship.

Challenge.

Laughter.

Creativity.

Connection.

All packed into one morning and one beautiful experience.

There were the dramatic switchbacks through Oak Creek Canyon before sunrise. The changing colors of Sedona. The photographs. The hike. My failed headstand. 😂 My friend's successful one. AcroYoga. Finally getting movements we'd been working toward. And time spent connecting with someone I care about.

So many blessings and so many memories from one day.

And maybe that's why days like this matter so much to me.

They're reminders to make time for the things that make us feel alive.

Get up ridiculously early.

Drive through the darkness.

Watch the sun come up.

Take the photograph.

Try the headstand.

Laugh when it doesn't happen.

Celebrate your friend when hers does.

Move your body.

Stay somewhere long enough to notice the light changing.

And every once in a while, give yourself an entire day to simply fuel your fire.

— Stems from Love