This day, when we get up early to photograph, Mother Nature cooperates. The sun comes in at a low angle and makes everything glow.

We start out at a large wheat field down the lane from Molino del Arco, our hotel. The wind blows gently, so the wheat tassles sway back and forth, sometimes still, sometimes in motion.

In places, Poppies show through the stems, but I decide for this photograph I will not celebrate Poppies. Plenty of time for that later.

Arnie gives out an assignment of shooting the wheat field with no sky, nothing but wheat, and our participants get into different positions to find the shots they want.

I suggest we go down to a long field of Poppies and other wildflowers where I shot the other day. I challenge our participants to do a close up of a Poppy.

“Get up close and personal,” I say. “No, closer!”

While they find their way, I find a Poppy that catches my eye. I love the way the light makes it translucent and glowing.

We head into Ronda, this time to photograph the “New” Bridge over the magnificent gorge, El Tajo. We do some photography up top in the old city first, then stop for a refreshment before making the steep climb down to our vantage point.

“The bridge is not the only thing to photograph,” we tell everyone. “Look in the other direction. The skies can be amazing, and the way the light plays on the field can be very dramatic.”

In this scene, the light picks up the moisture in the air that later results in some rain, and it turns everything high key. For those who don’t know, “high key” is an artist’s term for pastel or light.

We show our crew good vantage points at the cliff’s edge, and Arnie talks to them about balancing the light when the floodlights come on, so that they don’t lose detail in the gorge below.

Meanwhile, of course, everyone, including Arnie, keeps on photographing. I make some panoramas as a few raindrops land on us. As the sun sets, there is an afterglow, and the fields take on a glow from the reflections off the clouds.

I love the layers in the scene and the way the light plays off the different crops.

The fabulous red skies that often come after sunset do not happen. Black clouds race our way, and we hope they don’t contain lightning.

Meanwhile, the floodlights do come on, and shutters click away, exposures are changed, views are modified. People are pleased.

I make another panorama, an update to the one I did last year. It will be totally different when I put it together, as this year, there are menacing skies above the glow of the bridge and the white buildings along the gorge rims.

The rain becomes more insistent, and the balance of light has gone, so I encourage everyone to pack up quickly. The climb back up may be slippery. Everyone is careful.

As we near the top, I am reminded of the Movie “The 39 Steps.” It is eerie. Forbidding, almost. The broad shallow steps reflect the light from above. I want the photograph, but we are trying to get to the restaurant before it closes. It is nearly 11:00. I behave.

We pass by another narrow street, and I say, “Sorry, I missed the first one; I can’t miss this one. I’ll meet you at the car.”

I have company, and we are really pleased with the results.

We head to dinner, finally finding a place to park our cars. Dinner is fabulous. It is a local place recommended to us by local Brit ex-pats. The food is amazing.

What a great way to end the day. We return to the hotel at 12:30 and have to let ourselves in with our “outside” keys. Sleep comes quickly!

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