We’re an optimistic bunch – rising at the crack of dawn to snap sunrise pics by the pool or hitting our fitness goals in the park. Set your alarm an hour or two earlier and smash this list of 90 glorious early morning activities.
1. Get out of bed
It’s hard rousing yourself at that time of the morning while it’s still cold and dark outside. But you’ll need to be at your location with time to set up before the sun peeks over the horizon. You can find the time of sunrise by simply Googling ‘Sydney sunrise’. Aim to be in your location about 30 minutes beforehand.
2. Think about your location
Choose somewhere that’ll make the foreground of your image compelling. On the east coast, an obvious choice is over the ocean as the sun will be rising over the horizon and the warm tones of the sunrise will be reflected in the water.
3. Check the weather
Don’t despair if the forecast is for clouds – scattered cloud will make for the best shots as the golden rays of sun shines through them. Thick, dense cloud won’t be ideal, but when you have to leave the house in the dark, sometimes you’re going to get unlucky with the weather.
4. Bring the right equipment
You can take a stunning sunrise shot on your phone, but if you’re serious about your photography you’ll want to take a camera that you can shoot long exposures on – and bring your tripod. Before the sun rises it will still be dark and you can shoot some serene long exposure shots (about 20 seconds). If you want to get properly technical, a graduated neutral density filter will mean you can more evenly expose the sky with your foreground.