Sunrise at Hualien, Taiwan

Among the many things I enjoy seeing and capturing with my camera are sunrises and sunsets. At the beginning of November, 2008, I convinced one of my Taiwanese friends and our host in Hualien, Taiwan to get up at 5:00 am and venture down to the Pacific coast. As we walked along a stretch of beach and snapped numerous pictures of land and sea, the sun slowly crept up over the horizon and pierced through the clouds in the distance. I managed to capture a half-dozen images of this sunrise that I really like; this is one of my favorite three. The sun peaking over the clouds and the rays shooting out to illuminate the sky gain my attention from a distance and draw me into the picture. If you get the opportunity to visit Taiwan, Hualian is about two hours southeast of Taipei by train, next to Taroko Gorge National Park. Getting up early to capture the sunrise over the Pacific is well worth the effort.