What do surfers and photographers have in common? They both love waking up before sunrise and getting out to the beach.

Surfers love it because it tends to be more calm, less packed and glassier at this time. Plus, nothing quite beats the feeling of being out in the ocean while the sky is turning pink, orange and yellow around you, and the water is reflecting these colors back at you. The pelicans fly by in that majestic way that they do, and you just bob around waiting for the next set to roll in. Complete and utter bliss.

Photographers love it because this time of day can be breathtaking for portraits and couples and has a certain atmosphere about it that you can’t get at any other time of day. It’s just sort of magical!

If you can will yourself out of bed before the sun, consider a sunrise session with me! I’ll even bring you coffee! Jonica and Brenden and their pup, Crosby met me at Cannon Beach for their sunrise session right next to iconic Haystack Rock.

We got a really beautiful pink sunrise that morning. Crosby was going wild, I was getting stoked on the photos we were taking, and Jonica and Brenden were being great sports about walking into the ocean, which all Oregon residents know ISN’T warm. EVER. Kudos to these guys (good boy, Crosby!) and thanks for adventuring with me!