The plan for this morning at Grants Point had very little to do with sunrise.

I was there to explore potential Milky Way compositions, wandering through the granite formations and trying to work out what might align with the night sky on a future visit. Like many scouting trips, though, it didn’t quite go to plan.

The large granite formation on the right immediately caught my eye. There was something about the way it sat above the surrounding rocks that gave it a sense of permanence, as though it had simply endured whatever the coastline had thrown at it over countless years.

The challenge was that the better light was developing in the east. Rather than resist it, I decided to work with it...

The warm colour spilling across the horizon brought life into the granite and helped separate the rock formations from the cooler tones of the water. It wasn't the direction I had originally intended to shoot, but photography has a habit of rewarding flexibility.

Some photographers might argue that the image isn't entirely faithful to the direction of the sunrise. I'm comfortable with that.

Photography, after all, is interpretation as much as documentation.

To create the final image, I used a 25-second exposure at f/16 with a 6-stop ND filter to soften the movement of the water around the rocks. The sky required a separate exposure to retain detail and structure, so I captured a second frame and blended the two later in Photoshop. The tripod never moved. Only the camera settings changed.

What I enjoy most about this scene is the contrast between the elements. The granite feels solid, balanced and enduring, while the water smooths and shifts around it; one speaks of permanence, the other of constant change.

Not a bad outcome for what was supposed to be a reconnaissance trip.