I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but Nags Head, North Carolina is much closer to what I would consider “home.” Since long before I was born, my grandparents have owned a cottage on the Outer Banks and despite the huge influx of tourists each year, I still look forward to summers spent there.

Ever since I’ve taken up amateur photography, I’ve always wanted to spend some time trying to capture the beauty of the seascapes around Nags Head. Unfortunately, I also have a competing, deep-seated desire to lie in a hammock and read mass-market paperbacks. Last year, I was proud of myself: I actually got out during the golden hour(s) and took some photos.

Not-so-coincidently, last year was also the first time I slept in a room facing the ocean. That may not seem important, but I guarantee you that only reason I was up at 5:30am was because the early morning sun started streaming through my window as soon as it had climbed up from the Atlantic.

Nags Head Sunrise was taken only about five steps back from where Mema’s Moon was shot almost two weeks before – in fact, if you look closely you can see the same two-by-four in both pictures!

I learned two things while taking this photo: 1) 5:42am is a great time for sunrise pictures, and 2) 5:50am is a great time to go back to bed.