The magic of the sunrise at Cleethorpes Beach
Just like witnessing a dramatic thunderstorm, the colourful arc of a rainbow or a beautiful mountain range, there is something truly magical about watching the sunrise, and Cleethorpes is the perfect place to see it.
Bruce Martin is a local photographer who is often out daily in Cleethorpes. One of the scenes he loves to capture is the sunrise at Cleethorpes beach.
We asked him what inspires him to take pictures of the sunrise and his top tips.
“What could possibly be better than starting your morning off with a colourful sunrise? Witnessing a sunrise helps me put things in perspective, reminds me of the bigger picture and gives me a sense of calm and enjoyment for the rest of the day.
For me, the sunrise itself is the “end of the show”, the finale. I am often up well before the sunrise because the most beautiful colours are usually 30 to 40 minutes before the Sun shows its happy face.
In Cleethorpes, the sun rises as early as 04:30 in June, around 06:30 in September and 08:15 in December, so for me, the best time of year is the early part of autumn as it is neither too early nor too cold.
My favourite ‘type’ of sunrise is when there is a clear horizon along with lots of high level wispy clouds as that is when you will get the most dramatic colours before the sunrise. I also prefer it when the tide is out and has left some large puddles on the beach so I can get some lovely reflections.
I take pictures of the sunrise everywhere from the top of the North promenade, all the way down past the leisure centre, the Meridian line, Anthony’s Bank (one of my favourite spots) and down to Humber Mouth Yacht Club.”
Here’s Bruce’s Top Tips for getting a beautiful picture of the sunrise:
- Think about where you want to be and be there in plenty of time.
- Take LOTS of pictures – I regularly take over a hundred and throw 99 of them away, you just need that special one.
- Try to get something in the foreground, a tree, a person, a bird, a bench, the pier.
- Hold your camera or phone steady – there is not a lot of light and you can’t fix a blurred picture.
- Don’t just look for the sunrise. Take time to look up, around and behind you, as the magic is all around.
Bruce concluded “The sunrise over Cleethorpes can be different almost every day. There may be a perfectly clear sky, or some clouds above. The tide may be in or out, or somewhere in between. You may be on your own or watching it along with a couple of thousand sea birds. The great thing about a sunrise is that you can never feel disappointed if you miss it – there’ll be another one tomorrow.”
To view and purchase images by Bruce Martin, visit the Anything Goes shop in Cleethorpes (above the Cleethorpes Tap House) or check out his Facebook page Digital Art Cleethorpes.
