ONE: Color, color, color!

When you get high cloud cover at sunrise, that’s pretty much the recipe for brilliant hues of pink and orange, not just in the sky, but spread all over the landscape – the water, the Opera House, people’s upturned faces.

TWO: Drama, and texture

Clouds add a layer of depth to the landscape. Those billowing, menacing shapes are mesmerizing to behold.

And you never know what they can yield. Lightning (though hopefully, not while you’re out on the water), or rainbows.

THREE: Giant reflectors

Even on days where the clouds are so low and voluminous that they block out the sun, they help accentuate the landscape or subject matter, by acting as gigantic reflectors.

Sunrise Paddle Saturday Oct 7 2017