While we were at Sunset Beach, NC with family in October 2021, I went to the beach in the mornings and evenings to photograph sunrises and sunsets. Please see our post Sunset Beach, North Carolina for a summary of that trip.
One of the attractions in Sunset Beach is a 900 foot long pier. I chose to include the pier in some of my beach pictures and to omit it in others to capture other foregrounds. The featured image was originally taken with a horizontal orientation featuring the pier. After seeing it printed, I decided to crop it vertically to focus the viewer’s attention on the birds in the foreground, the sun’s reflection in the wet sand, and the people on the pier.
The first morning I started taking photos at the beach before sunrise when there was noticeable color over the ocean – that sunrise was very colorful. The second morning I stayed at our house and took some photos of the sunrise from the upper deck. The sunrise behind the pier on the third morning was very different with a blue sky and prominent crepuscular rays in the sky. These are formed by sunlight shining through gaps in clouds and scattering off dry particles in the atmosphere. I also took sunset photos from the beach on the evening of the first day.
Additional Information
Wikipedia: Sunset Beach, North Carolina
Sunset Beach Pier: https://www.sunsetbeachpier.com/
Wikipedia: Crepuscular rays
Additional Images
These are photos from the Sunset Beach area. Some of these were High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos, each of which is a combination of three separate images taken at different exposures (for an explanation of this technique, please see the Definitions page).
Technical Data
Beach at Early Dawn
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 7:01 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 37 mm, f/8
- ISO: 1600
- Shutter: 1/50 sec
- Cropped image is 5849 x 3899 px
- GPS: 33°51’59” N, 78°30’21.6″ W
Pier at Dawn
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 7:15 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 46 mm, f/8
- ISO: 400
- Shutter: 1/160 sec
- Cropped image is 5969 x 3979 px
- GPS: 33°51’56.7″ N 78°30’31.5″ W
Sunset Beach Sunrise 1 (Vertical)
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 7:21 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 55 mm, f/8
- ISO: 400
- Shutter: 1/250 sec
- Cropped image is 5326 x 7988 px
- GPS: 33°51’56.7″ N, 78°30’31.5″ W
- Processing: Topaz Gigapixel AI
Sunset Beach Sunset
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 6:44 PM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 28 mm, f/8
- ISO: 800
- Shutter: 1/250 sec
- Uncropped image is 6000 x 4000 px
Sunset Beach Pier Sunset
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 6:50 PM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 55 mm, f/8
- ISO: 800
- Shutter: 1/125 sec
- Cropped image is 5916 x 3944 px
Crepuscular rays at Sunrise
- Date: 10/17/2021
- Time: 7:05 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 17 mm, f/9
- ISO: 800
- Shutter: 1/50 sec
- Cropped image is 5886 x 3905 px
- Processing: Aurora HDR
Dawn Under Pier
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 7:05 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 23 mm, f/8
- ISO: 1600
- Shutter: 1/100 sec
- Uncropped image is 6000 x 4000 px
- GPS: 33°51’58.4″ N, 78°30’24.5″ W
Sunset Beach Sunrise 1
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 7:21 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 55 mm, f/8
- ISO: 400
- Shutter: 1/250 sec
- Cropped image is 5974 x 3982 px
- GPS: 33°51’56.7″ N, 78°30’31.5″ W
Sunset Beach Pier Sunrise
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 7:22 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 21 mm, f/8
- ISO: 400
- Shutter: 1/250 sec
- Cropped image is 5954 x 3969 px
- GPS: 33°51’56.7″ N, 78°30’31.5″ W
Common Reeds on Sand Dunes
- Date: 10/15/2021
- Time: 6:49 PM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 55 mm, f/8
- ISO: 800
- Shutter: 1/250 sec
- Uncropped image is 6000 x 4000 px
Sunrise from our house
- Date: 10/16/2021
- Time: 7:26 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS 77D
- Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
- Settings:
- Lens: 17 mm, f/11
- ISO: 1600
- Shutter: 1/250 sec
- Cropped image is 5784 x 3857 px
- Processing: Aurora HDR