Calvin at dawn

I've wanted to shoot a beach portrait for a number of years and Calvin kindly gave me that opportunity.
Ex colleague, Calvin, agreed to drive through the night all the way from London to meet me on the beach at 5am last Sunday.
Sunrise on the coast is an amazing moment so I wanted a subject that was going to be visually powerful to compliment the dramatic backdrop nature would serve up.
I used my second hand Nikon D800 and my very used second hand SB900 as an off camera strobe triggered by the D800's pop up flash. But what I was really excited about was my decision to use a Nikon 14-24mm as a portrait lens! Yes, a 14mm - 24mm lens as a portrait lens.
Walking along the beach before sunrise gave me time to think 'what the hell are we doing while everyone else is in bed' but it took my mind off the big question, how was I going to shoot Calvin? What setting do I need to use? He's come all this way, what if it doesn't work?
A race against the now quickly rising sun focused my mind and I was able to grab this shot which I think combines the dramatic mood and power of both subjects together.
Location is so much harder than the studio!