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I love capturing the sunrise!
I know the thought of getting up in the pre-dawn hours is completely foreign to a lot of people. Why on earth would you want to be up and about when you could be laying in bed, all comfy and warm, getting just a few minutes more of shut-eye? Yes, I get it, really I do – that used to be me!
Those of you who follow me on Facebook may have seen some of my recent series of sunrise photos. I post the photos on the Seize the Day Project page for everyone to enjoy, but you may wonder why I’ve become obsessed with capturing the sunrise each day. I find myself waking early most morning, before the alarm, ready to start the day. I just don’t seem to be able to sleep in any more. Here’s a few samples of my sunrise pics:
Some mornings, the scene is simply breathtaking
The gold of the sun contrasts against the heavy cloud
Love the colour of the sun reflected on the clouds in this one … and the lone rower
Why I love taking sunrise photos:
- It’s a great reason to get out of bed early – the pre-dawn light is soft, warm and just beautiful. There are often colours which disappear as soon as the sun rises over the horizon. You only have about a 20-25 minute window between first light and the actual sunrise. It’s the most peaceful time of the day for me.
- It gets me up to go for a walk – I need the exercise! I’ve been on a weight loss journey for some time now, mainly to improve my health rather than live in the vain hope that I’ll ever be model thin :). I really enjoy walking – it’s easy, fun and free. Part of my walk takes me down along the Tweed River, which is quite pretty, and I often thought – I should bring my camera! When I got a new phone, I was using it for music during my walk, and it’s come in handy for taking photos too.
- It gives me time to be alone with my thoughts – Sadly, I recently lost my Mum, and my Dad passed away nearly 10 years ago now, so I sometimes like to take a moment to think about them and “talk” to them while I’m in my quiet place. It’s kinda weird being an orphan when you’ve always had your parents in your life …
- It makes me grateful to live in such a beautiful part of the world – While I’m standing on the riverbank, I try to think about at least one thing I’m grateful for and sometimes come up with a whole list.
- It helps me look at nature in a different way – Most days I go to the same place and while the sunrise is different every day because of the clouds, light and weather, taking a different photo or aspect each day can be challenging. This has made me look around a little bit more and seek out different things I can photograph, like the patterns on the sand, the jetty or my pelican friend.
- It enhances my creativity – By trying to take a photo each day, I’ve started to learn more about how the camera on my phone works. I’m lucky to have a smartphone with a fabulous camera. It has Pro settings where you can play around with the white balance in the shot and enhance one colour over another. Most of the time, I just let nature display her colours and capture them as is, but sometimes I give her a little help by adjusting the white balance. When I learnt photography, the teacher told us to always “get it right in the camera”, rather than relying on filters or enhancing the shot with photoshop or similar software.
This particular morning, I was greeted by a beautiful cloud formation when I left home, and when I got down to the river, it had turned to gold!
Some mornings there’s not much sun or colour, but the blues and even the grey sky can still be interesting
The pre-dawn colours can be so very pretty
Fire in the sky
On the left, I’ve captured the tide marks and evidence of crab activity, in the centre pic, it was still quite early and the mangroves made a lovely silhouette, and on the right, the light was very subtle and the river so calm
Early morning really is the best time of my day. It sets me up for a positive start to the day. If you’d like to see more of examples of me capturing the sunrise, check out this post or this one about Gratitude.
Ah the serenity…
A variety of shots of one of the jetties
If only the jetty could speak… what stories it could tell
What’s your favourite time of the day? When did you last see the sunrise?
If you’d like to see the sunrise, but mornings aren’t your best time of day, keep watching my Facebook page for more sunrise photos. Or if you’d like to see the sunrise for yourself, here’s some tips on getting up early:
- Check what time the sunrise is tomorrow morning by simply typing into Google “Sunrise … ” and add your location
- Set your alarm at least 30 minutes before sunrise – yes it will be dark when you wake, just get out of bed 🙂
- In case you hit the snooze button, you’ll need to get out of bed at least 20 minutes before sunrise (or you’ll miss the beautiful pre-dawn light)
- If you can, map out a walk to a particular place to watch the sunrise – this may be the beach, the river or a hilltop – and allow plenty of time to get there
- Get your clothes ready the night before so you just have to pull them on and you’re ready to go
- Charge your phone or camera battery
- Get ready to capture the sunrise – and don’t forget the pre-dawn can give you the prettiest display of colours
- Download some music to listen to while you’re out and about
- Enjoy!
This is what I’m loving about life this week.
I’m honoured to now be a co-host of the Lovin’ Life Linky, which happens each and every Thursday.
Click on any of the links below to read more amazing stories about Lovin’ Life – because we all need to feel inspired and create our own happiness :).
The rest of the Lovin’ Life Linky team is: Leanne from Deep Fried Fruit, Min from Write of the Middle, Deb from Debbish.com, Jo from Lifestyle Fifty and Kathy from 50 Shades of Age.
I love seeing your sunrise photos. Love love love. So inspiring!
Awww thanks so much Leanne. I love that you love them 🙂 #TeamLlinky #LovingLifeLinky
Wow! They’re stunning!!
Thank you so much Lydia 🙂
Beautiful photo’s Lyndall and I’ve been enjoying seeing them each day on Facebook or Instagram too! This used to be me! I was up every day very early, down to the waterfront walking and taking sunrise photo’s that I would then share on FB and Insta. I had to stop though, because of Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot and lots of pain. I was ordered to rest that foot and no more pounding the pavement. So I’ve been going to gym and now aqua aerobics also. I miss my sunrise walks though! I hope to return to them one day soon. 🙂
Sorry to hear about your foot Min. I hope you’re soon on the mend. At least you can still go to the gym and do aqua aerobics 🙂 #TeamLinky #LovinLifeLinky
I applaud you for getting up for the sunrise every morning Lyndall. You know I am a big fan of your sunrise photos – they truly make my day. I find it difficult to rise before the sun, but I still like a stroll most mornings with the puppy. I can understand the benefits of getting up early and having that alone time to plan your day ahead.
Thank you so much Kathy. I’m so pleased you enjoy my sunrise shots. I think I’ve become obsessed with taking sunrise photos – oh dear! 🙂
I must admit I never see the sunrise as I’m getting myself and my son ready then, so it’s great to see your beautiful photos!
Thanks Di. Yes, I must admit I’m on a timeline to get home and wake my teens to get them on the school bus each morning too! 🙂
Yup, I’m one of THOSE people – sunrise? What’s that?! I’m looking forward to taking some sunset over the ocean pics when we go to Bali next year though, something we east coasters don’t often see!
Can’t wait to see your sunset shots from Bali next year Janet 🙂
I love your sunrise shots and look forward to them eagerly! I’m not so eager about jumping out of bed first thing in the morning though – so I do rely on you! What fascinates me is how different every single sunrise is – the light, the clouds, the river. Amazing. Keep up the great work 🙂
I never used to be keen on early mornings at all and rarely saw the sunrise, but once I had children, there was no going back. My son used to wake at 5-5.30 every morning until the past year. I’m so used to it now, I can’t sleep in any more! I love seeing the variations in the light and clouds too. Nature is amazing. Thanks for your kind words Jo 🙂
Those are some stunning photos. Wow, the funny thing is I am on my way to work during sunrise and I need to start doing it.
Thank you Patrick. Hope you get a chance to stop on the way to work and take a moment to enjoy the sunrise 🙂
What a beautiful collection of sunrises!
SSG xxx
Thanks so much SSG xox
I love your dawn photographs. I’ve not been a morning person traditionally but at the moment have been waking early. I really should get some walks in as I know it’s a great way to start the day but I’ve enjoyed those days I’ve even sat down at my desk ultra early!
It’s great that you’re sitting down at your desk ultra early Deb – whatever works for you! 🙂
I love both sunrise and sunset, but sunrise is so fresh! I walk 3 days a week with a group of ladies and we capture the sunrise each day. Such a great way to start the day.
That’s fabulous Nicole. Sometimes I walk with a friend too. It certainly is a great way to start the day 🙂
In winter, I leave home for work before the sun comes up so it’s sadly hard to do! But often on my days off from work, I’ll go and sit alone at the beach to watch the sun come up.
The beach is a great place to have some alone time Ness 🙂
Lyndall
Your photos are gorgeous! I had been walking regularly, including the odd early morning one with hubby. That all had to stop last week because I had a bit of a health scare. But, the only thing that has stopped is they don’t want me to walk alone so I think I need to get hubby back into walking with me early morning and the added benefit of that is that I can get some sunrise snaps.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get good sunrise photos with my iphone.
Cat
Hi Cat – Thanks for your lovely comments. I do hope your health will soon improve. It’s great that you can get your hubby to walk with you – mine goes off to work too early.
I have a Samsung Galaxy 7, not an iPhone, but I’m sure there would be similar settings on the iPhone. Maybe Google “professional camera settings on iPhone”. On the Samsung, there are Pro settings, which allow you to play around with the white balance, making the image lighter, darker or more blue, pink, red or green. Also, angles are important. If the water is calm, I often crouch down low to capture an image as if floating on the water. It’s important to look around and see what’s happening in nature. I often snap fish jumping (hard to capture), birds and pelicans landing or fishing for breakfast, or plants and trees along the water’s edge. The light is probably the most important thing, and the best time for this is definitely pre-dawn. Sometimes you can get lucky with a bright orange or pink sky in the pre-dawn (usually when it’s cloudy). Once the full sun rises, it’s too bright to capture those subtle pinks and oranges. Good luck! 🙂