January sunrise over Barnegat BayOne of those rare days when the weather cooperates, the sunrise is beautiful and I have my camera with me.      Most visitors to my website know that I love sunsets.  My "Sunset" gallery has more images--and more visitors--than any other gallery. Also, my sunset posts on Facebook get the most "Like"s of anything I post.  I guess there is just something about the intensity of the colors that people find attractive, inspiring, peaceful, or just nice to look at.  I am very fortunate to live near the water (the Toms River), so it is easy for me to get a few shots, at least on the weekends this time of year.

      I have been less successful with sunrises.  If it is during the week and I have to get to work, I don't have time, usually, to get a few snaps. Weekends are different, because I get up the same time to walk with a friend to get some exercise. If the timing and weather is right, I sometimes get lucky.

     The attached image is from yesterday, taken near the Island Heights Post Office, which overlooks Barnegat Bay.  Nothing, in my opinion, beats the image of sun over water, be it in the morning or afternoon. The technique, photographically, for capturing sunrises is  basically the same as capturing sunsets.  A high ISO (but not so high as to get visible noise), relatively slow shutter speed, and as small an aperture as you can, all shot in RAW.  A tripod helps, but I rarely think to take one in the morning.  Some photographers like to put White Balance on "Cloudy," but I don't bother.  I can always make adjustments in post-processing if necessary.

     Anyway, enjoy the image. Today was cloudy and the forecast for tomorrow is rain, so I may need to wait another week or so before I get "lucky."