In 2020, I visited Mallorca twice. Once during Easter and again in the summer. The island, with its picturesque landscapes and endless photo opportunities, truly captured my heart. While summer can be overcrowded with tourists during the day, Easter offers a more peaceful atmosphere. Even in summer, however, if you head out early for photography, you can enjoy almost deserted locations as most people tend to recover from their late-night revelry. As a photographer, this early morning quiet is the perfect window to capture something special.

One day, I found myself at a lighthouse. Initially, I hadn't planned on photographing it. It was just a casual tourist visit, like what most people would do. But as I wandered around, the location piqued my interest. I noticed some wildflowers nearby, which sparked a few creative ideas. I quickly checked the sun's location to gauge whether this could be a good golden hour spot. I initially thought of a sunset shoot, imagining how the warm golden light could beautifully illuminate the lighthouse. But when I examined the positioning of the sun, I realized it would be perfect for a sunrise shoot instead. I captured a few mobile compositions, and the potential started to shine through.

The next day, I woke up early. The lighthouse was nearly an hour's drive from where I was staying, so I had to leave while it was still dark. For sunrise shots, I always aim to arrive at least 45 minutes to an hour before the sun rises. This buffer allows me to find my composition, set up the camera, and capture the pre-sunrise colours if the sky is favourable.

Though I had already mapped out the composition the day before, I stuck to my routine and arrived 45 minutes before sunrise. It turned out to be a wise decision. In the dark, finding the spot I had marked in the daylight was much trickier. I also had to carefully navigate down a cliff to reach the location, which added a layer of complexity. Setting up my gear in such a challenging spot took some time, especially since I needed to position everything low to the ground by the cliff edge. Fortunately, the tilting screen on my Nikon D850 was a lifesaver. It would have been nearly impossible to get the right composition otherwise.

By the time I was set up, I was about 20 minutes ahead of the sunrise. And those 20 minutes! They were truly the best part of the day. The silence was profound, with only the soft whisper of the wind and the occasional crash of waves below the cliff. The view in front of me felt almost surreal. It was a perfect, tranquil moment that made all the early morning effort worthwhile.

When the time came, I fired off a few shots, and the result was exactly what I had hoped for. Of course, I wished for a more dramatic sky, but given the conditions, I was more than satisfied with what I had captured.