Sunrise Silhouette on Amelia Island

THE LOCATION: Pier, Amelia by the Sea, Amelia Island, Fl.

GPS: 30°37'14.8249" N 81°26'19.5137" W

THE EQUIPMENT: Canon EOS 6D | Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

THE STORY: The older I get (and I'm not that old, but slowly getting there), the harder it is for me to get up super early to make photos.

The motivation, the discipline, it just isn't there. Not like it used to. I love that first cup of coffee and a comfy chair too much.

But ...

It's still worth the effort to rouse before dawn, grab the gear, and get some where before that fabulous orange orb of burning plasma climbs out of its slumber and into its work day above the horizon.

Catch it on the beach. That might be when morning is at its most serene. The color shifts moment by moment, and only a few people are out strolling the sand or jumping on a surfboard out on the water.

Now there ain't nothin' wrong with wearing your Sunday best.

But me I'll be wearing something I can get wet.

And if you think about how small we are in life after we're gone

I'm out here by myself. But I know I'm not alone.

Yeah I got all the proof I need, and it sure makes me believe.

That's Jimmy Buffett's line from a collaboration with the Eli Young Band called "Saltwater Gospel." Forget church, obnoxious preachers, and condescending congregations who think they know it all.

Find an all powerful being right there in the dawn of a new day as it happens over the ocean, the same one that's cooling your bare feet as you watch the dazzling light show through your camera.

Maybe getting up early is more difficult these days. But on mornings like this one on Florida's Amelia Island, it's so worth it.

IF YOU GO: Amelia By the Sea

Dave Pidgeon is a seasoned photographer and writer. He lives in Lancaster, Pa. with his three sons.