#52weeksofnature Photo Contest Week 35 Winner

The winners of Week 35 of our #52weeksofnature photo contest are David Marcus + Alexandra Cotoulas (@andtheytravel). Capitalizing on the early hours of the day can grant distinctive opportunities. David + Alexandra have won a $100 gift code to hippytree.com and we are donating an additional $100 to the Surfrider Foundation in their names. Learn more about David + Alexandra below.

Where was the image shot?
Moraine Lake, Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada

What camera did you use and what were the settings?
Camera: Sony A7iii
Lens: Sony 16-35mm
Shutter Speed: 1/3
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 100

Was there any special preparation required to capture the photo?
Sunrise at Moraine Lake is incredibly popular during the summer. We woke up at 4am and drove 45 minutes from our campsite to reach the small parking lot before it was filled. (Seriously, all the spots are taken by 5am!) We then climbed up the Rock Pile Trail on the far end of the lake, where we were greeted with dozens of other photographers -- I guess the secret's out. We scrambled down the rock pile to find different compositions of the glorious sunrise over the impossibly blue lake.

How long have you been shooting?
We're actually coming from a video background. We met one another working on a film set 10 years ago. We spent years on video productions together and that's where our knowledge and love of the camera stems from. When we started traveling full-time 3 years ago, we transitioned more into photography to capture the beautiful world we were exploring.

What's your favorite subject matter to shoot?
Our favorite subjects are landscape and astrophotography. When we started living on the road, we quickly developed a newfound love and respect for nature. Trying to capture its beauty is an incredible challenge that we can never get enough of.

Do you shoot with a crew or shoot solo?
Just the two of us. Unless you count the tripod.