As my wife and I have traveled around the world I have been in search of that one photo that would cause people to stop in their tracks when they saw it. You know the one…

white sandy beach, crystal clear water, and palm trees.

Try as I might, the setting I pictured in my mind just never quite developed. There were so many obstacles, such as too many people on the beach, poor lighting conditions, bad weather and the list goes on.

In December of 2021, we decided to take a drive through the Florida Keys. No we don’t live anywhere close, but it was time to get out of the snow and cold Utah weather. We arranged our flight and rental car. It wasn’t long before we were on our way to warmer weather.

My number one goal for this trip was to obtain that long awaited photograph of the beach with palm trees. I decided that an early morning sunrise shot would be the best way to avoid the crowds and create an image that inspired calmness and beauty, despite missing out on the crystal clear water.

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, we left the hotel at 5:00 a.m. and made our way to the chosen spot. Soon, the sky began to glow. As the sun was rising and getting steadily brighter, suddenly we saw the most brilliant layers of oranges and yellows. These stunning colors danced progressively across the horizon, softly bouncing off the calm still morning waters of the ocean.

I framed this image at 30” x 40” as an anniversary present to my wife. It hangs in our bedroom surrounded by a wide, modern, white frame. This artistic rendition of a morning sunrise over calm waters, brings back fond memories of the romance of the ocean.