"A Tale Of Two Sunrises"

A cluster of clouds shroud the rising sun on a brisk morning. It still manages to peek through like a smoldering fire in a mound of coal.

I shot two sunrises at the Belmar Fishing Pier last summer. A last-minute booking of a beachside hotel for my birthday yielded the first opportunity.

The first hour before sunrise provided several opportunities to take practice shots and get acquainted with my equipment: a remote shutter (using the Canon app), metal tripod and a no-density lens filter. The filter prevents overexposure since the camera faces the sun.

The rising sun casts its light and the shadows of the fishing pier's support piles onto washing waves. A 10 second exposure gives the waves the appearance of a painting.

After four and a half hours of sleep, I woke up before dawn and made my way from the Grand Victorian at Spring Lake to the pier at Ocean Avenue. Having little experience shooting at sunrise, I consulted a fellow photographer in the days leading up to my session. He recommended the fishing pier since I was looking to include something in my composition; I did not want a shot of just the sky over the ocean. Although there's nothing wrong with this type of shot, I prefer to have something in my shot that gives a sense of location or tells a story.

I returned to the pier six weeks later and met up with the aforementioned photographer who recommended the spot. Brent Prentergast and his wife, Lisa, helped me optimize the morning's opportunities.

A lone fisher casts his line into the golden waves. Fishermen seem to appear on the shoreline in the early morning hours before seasonal beachgoers arrive.

Two friends soak up the early morning sun on the shoreline. The world seems more at peace than it does during the day, making it a calmer atmosphere for them to enjoy one another's company.

A few of our shots featured some early morning beachgoers, which I did not have in my first session.

The other side of the fishing pier catches soft light now that the sun rose. Relatively calm waves take on a glassy appearance in this long exposure.

With another summer quickly approaching, I look forward to shooting more sunrises at the Jersey Shore. Beyond the Belmar Fishing Pier, I'm considering trips further south given the opportunity to capture the rising sun with a rollercoaster.

Daniel Smutek — Notch 8 Photography

April 9, 2025