The Mount Arenal volcano shortly after dawn, seen from across Lake Arenal.

Arenal is an active volcano which has been erupting steadily since 1968 when it awoke without warning from dormancy, destroying the town of Tabacón. It is one of Costa Rica’s major tourist attractions and the most active volcano in the country.

I’m not exactly a morning person, so dawn shots aren’t likely to be very common on this photoblog! In this case though, my room had east-facing windows and the rising sun awoke me to the first clear view of Mount Arenal we had seen on the entire trip.

So there I am at 5.45am, or thereabouts, leaning out of my window with camera in hand. The only one of those I’m accustomed to is the “camera in hand” part.

This may have been part of a panoramic shot, but it stands well by itself.

It’s sad really, but without my morning cup-o-joe, I really do have a hard time getting out of first gear.

It’s quite possible that coffee ranks higher in importance in our home than, say, toilet paper. If you run out of toilet paper, there are always alternative options. Running out of coffee, on the other hand, is pure unfettered disaster.

Shot for a “natural framing” assignment.