Sunrise over St Neots

Here's a sunrise scene from the day before yesterday. The sky was an extraordinary colour in areas near the horizon and this telephoto shot homes in on that specific part. The trees are poplars, and with their leaves gone the classic poplar upright habit and branch structure are plain to see.

Poplars against the sunset

What amazes me most, perhaps, is the range of colours in this shot. The overall effect is angry orange with black silhouettes of the roof-lines and trees. But look at the subtle differences of shade and hue (click on the image for a larger version).

The upper left is dominated by a greyish brown, on the right hand side are peaches, tangerines and many other warm, bright colours.

It's a beautiful scene. And it's tranquil, despite the 'angry' colours. The houses have no detail but suggest people snug in their warm homes with steaming mugs of tea or coffee. What do you suppose they were doing? Sunrise in the UK in mid December is around 08:00 to 08:30; it would have been time for breakfast.

(If you liked this you might also like Journeys of heart and mind and Quote me on this.)