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Goal update: Photograph sunrises
Jan. 12th, 2026 08:31 am Often in the past when I have made a big list of goals like the one I made for 2026 goals will fall away throughout the year. I have already posted about my decision to forgive making 100 pieces of paper due to a lack of gardening skills in my new climate (100 pieces of paper means quite a lot of plant material). Now I will be adding my sunrise photography goal to the list of abandoned goals.
Let me explain.
i have taken photos of 4 of the 50 something sunrises (the 2026 goal) with my iPhone. I have seen slightly more than 4, I’m not sure how many sunrises I have experienced in 2026. Of the sunrises I have seen this year, the ones I have enjoyed the most are the ones that I was lucky enough to see when my phone was dead or misplaced. It is in no way unusual for me to wake up before dawn and I already love sunrises… real ones. When taking a photo of a sunrise with any modern phone the colors are altered in a way that makes them less subtle and ethereal. it takes on a cooler tone, higher saturation and an enhanced black point. The almost alien or cartoon palette of the photo happens regardless of the setting on my phone and take a significant amount of effort to balance back in an editor. At that point, this goal which was made to ensure I enjoy sunrises throughout the year has actually served to make them less enjoyable and in a way the high saturation photos seem to warp my appreciation for what is in front of me.
I’m not going to count this as a loss… because I never really do. the point of each goal is to teach or reinforce something. this showed me what I largely already knew: it’s difficult to be truly present when staring at a screen.
Let me explain.
i have taken photos of 4 of the 50 something sunrises (the 2026 goal) with my iPhone. I have seen slightly more than 4, I’m not sure how many sunrises I have experienced in 2026. Of the sunrises I have seen this year, the ones I have enjoyed the most are the ones that I was lucky enough to see when my phone was dead or misplaced. It is in no way unusual for me to wake up before dawn and I already love sunrises… real ones. When taking a photo of a sunrise with any modern phone the colors are altered in a way that makes them less subtle and ethereal. it takes on a cooler tone, higher saturation and an enhanced black point. The almost alien or cartoon palette of the photo happens regardless of the setting on my phone and take a significant amount of effort to balance back in an editor. At that point, this goal which was made to ensure I enjoy sunrises throughout the year has actually served to make them less enjoyable and in a way the high saturation photos seem to warp my appreciation for what is in front of me.
I’m not going to count this as a loss… because I never really do. the point of each goal is to teach or reinforce something. this showed me what I largely already knew: it’s difficult to be truly present when staring at a screen.
