Worth the 4 A.M.

I'm not a morning person. But that goes right out the window when there's a shot worth chasing. This home, designed by Ideabox, sits in the hills west of the Willamette Valley about 30 minutes from me. Catching sunrise there meant a 4 a.m. alarm. I arrived while it was still dark, orange glow barely showing over the horizon, vineyard all around, Mt. Hood somewhere in the distance waiting for the light.

Then it happened. Morning light poured over the valley and washed into the home. These moments don't last long, and that's kind of the point. There's something I keep coming back to about photographing spaces at the edges of the day. The architecture stops being still. It starts to move with the light around it, shifting and coming alive in a way that midday just can't replicate. Buildings have a lot more to say when the light is in transition.

Matt Swain Photography is based out of the Pacific North West and serves the Willamette Valley and the West Coast with quality architectural and drone photography.