Remember the last article I wrote for ShoreBread? I had removed all the color from a bayside sunset. Naturally, this go-round I decided to enhance the color of a sunrise over the ocean.

I was on an assignment for my full time, 9 to 5, job. The task was to photograph an OC hotel during the best lighting:  right around the time the sun comes up. Coincidentally, early morning sunrises fall far outside of my normal work hours. Needless to say, at first I was not thrilled about waking up so early and then working an 8 hour day afterwards.

Upon arriving at the beach, I was immediately blown away at the size of the waves. Ocean City had been going through somewhat of a 'dry spell' the past few weeks and the waves have been less than desirable. I was inherently envious of the people donning wetsuits and heading out to meet the sun. 

I had arrived on the scene too early. The first round of photos was incredibly underexposed. This prompted me to just sit in the sand, face east, and wait… and wait… and wait. Finally, the first little tip of the sun pierced the sky. If you haven’t seen the sun rise over a deserted beach - you’re missing out.

Besides photographing the hotel, I tried to capture the vast openness of the beach as well as the incredible backdrop the sunrise provided.

The next time you’re feeling energetic and spontaneous that is no need to travel far. Don't spend lots of money. Don't use any of your vacation days. You just need is to set your alarm clock a little (or a lot) earlier and take a walk out to the ocean. It's worth it.

Let me know about your favorite sunrise experiences in Ocean City - or anywhere else for that matter - in the comments below.

To see more photographs by Chris, visit his articles on ShoreBread:

• A Sunset in Sunset Park
• Photos of the Off Season in OC
• Saturday Night's Lightning Show