Hilton Tree

Sunrise is about 7:30 am and I'm normally in work by that time but today I had a visit on the way in so was able to take this image.  I must admit it didn't look that promising as I left home.  Cloud above and fairly thick.  I can't see east very easily because of other houses so it was only as I drove up the road that I realised that the sky on the horizon was clear to the east.  This can often result in underlit clouds just before sunrise.  There was some attractive under lighting near the horizon but it didn't stretch to the clouds overhead.

It was only as I was walking back towards the car that I noticed how the leaves of the tree were being back lit.  The belt of trees to the right were in full sunshine and the composition came together fairly easily.

Technical:  I thought I was using bracketing but had actually only adjusted the settings to an in-camera HDR setting.  A 3 stop soft ND grad filter was also used to hold back the sky.  Might not have been needed but it has helped.  I lifted the shadow detail and reduced highlights in Lightroom, added some clarity and sharpened.