Inspired by a Twitter chat, I decided to showcase some favorite sunrise and sunset photos in one place.
All of these photos were taken by me and with my smartphone at the time. If you love the photo, credit the beautiful setting.
15 Fantastic Sunrise and Sunset Photos
This is the most recent photo from this collection of 15 photos. On my road trip between South Florida and Northern Virginia, my friends (the Murrays) took me to this spectacular location called Sunset Beach Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida. I would say I was there on a pretty good night.
Many years ago, on a road trip between Long Beach, California and El Paso, Texas, my final major stop was White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, New Mexico. I made sure to get up before sunrise one morning to take the above picture. See also Fun Things to Do in Gallup On Your New Mexico Vacation
While my children were playing in the sand on Captiva Island, I snuck away for a second to take the above sunset photo. I was happy to capture two birds in the scene. See also South Seas Island Resort: Relaxed Luxury Getaway on Captiva Island.
After a brilliant Memorial Day weekend dinner with friends, they took us for an end of the day boat ride. I like the sunset with the calm and churning water.
The above sunrise photo is one of my favorite travel photos. We took family trips to a beach house in Duck, North Carolina (Outer Banks) for nearly 20 years. At least one morning each trip, I tried to wake up around 5:30 to watch the sunrise.
While sunrises at Outer Banks are spectacular, occasionally there are also amazing sunsets. The island is only a mile wide where Duck is and the above scene is looking over the Currituck Sound.
Well, after all of those years of taking sunrise photos at the Outer Banks, I can fill several articles. I absolutely love this celestial special effect but I promise you that this and all of my photos have no filters. Just plain ole regular pictures.
Key West sunsets are classic. This was taken from the Mallory Square area, where there is a sunset celebration every night.
With my stank little iPhone several years ago, I had to zoom in (maximum) to make this boat and the sun appear fairly normal. Although the resolution is lower and not crystal clear, I love how the picture looks.
During my stay at Beliveau Estate, one of my favorite Blacksburg Hotels Near Virginia Tech, early morning after a nice evening thunderstorm provided the above mystical scene.
This photo was probably taken with the first iPhone model, it is so old. I would love to return to Lanikai Beach in Hawaii to see more sunsets.
We were lucky to have this view from our vacation rental in St. John and I was thrilled to capture this sunset photo one night.
I just love the above photo of a Ft. Lauderdale Florida sunrise. What earth-shattering idea did this person have to cause this solar explosion? This spot is one of my Secret Hidden Gems in South Florida.
See also The 8 Best Scenic Drives in South Florida Near Miami.
I took a break from eating lobster (most likely) to snap the above lovely shot of a small harbor in Boothbay area of Maine.
Finally, I had to include one sunset picture from a plane. I love this one because the clouds look like a bed of lava or the surface of Mars.
Do you have any favorite sunrise and sunset photos?
I’ve been chasing sunrises and sunsets on all of my adventures. Here’s one of my favorites taken in Cienfuegos, Cuba: https://www.instagram.com/p/BSb5E7PAUV1/?taken-by=heidisiefkas
Nice sunset photo, Heidi. Thank you for sharing. Keep on adventuring!
Beautiful photos of American (mostly) sunsets. There are so many great spots for sunset chasing in the US. I am glad that Duck Beach made the list. We spent so many memorable vacations there in the past.
Incidentally, I just published a selection of our favorite sunsets that we found around the world in 2016. Makes interesting comparison.
http://travelingbytes.com/best-sunsets-2016/
Cheers!
Hey, you are right? Mostly US. Do other countries have sunsets? 😀 I guess I should get out more. So glad you know about Duck. Such a great place. Love your sunset article!
What fantastic photos, indeed. Sunrises and sunsets are irresistible to photographers~
Oh, not just me. Thanks!
These are beautiful. I thought I’d picked a favourite, but then kept scrolling down and found several more favourites. There is something relaxing and hopeful about sunrises and sunsets.
Relaxing and hopeful. I like that. Thank you, Donna.
These sunset photos are all beautiful. I don’t think I can even pick a favorite.
Thank you for checking them out, Judi. Where was your favorite sunrise or sunset?
Thanks. I loved the Duck Beach sunrise and the Key West sunset!. My favorite photo is sunrise at Benalmadena, Spain in Costa del Sol.
Thank you, Carolina.
Lovely photos. There is hope for me yet, if you can do these with a phone
Yes, phone pictures. Not the latest smartphone either. I can definitely see that these pictures are not very sharp.
I love all the different colors and locations, each one so completely different than the other.
Thank you, Noel.
What a nice grouping of sunrise and sunset images! My favorite is “sunrise from Duck beach, Outer Banks, North Carolina.”
Thank you. That is one of the pictures I use on my biz cards.
Love your sunrise and sunset photos. The one most interesting because it has different textures caused by boat wake is Lake of the Woods, Virginia
I like that one, also, Wendy. Thank you. Well, I like them all. 😀
Who doesn’t love looking at, and taking, pictures of sunsets? I’d vote for the sunset from Duck.
Great vote. Thank you.
Hard to pick a favorite time of day: sunrise or sunset. . .you’ve capture both very well in this series of shots! Nice post.
Thank you most kindly.
I am a sucker o sunset photos:) Here’ a beautiful one taken at Mountain View, Arkansas:) http://bon-bonvoyage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IMG_5337.jpg
Thank you, Bon-Bon. Love it.
Absolutely stunning! These photos are fantastic.
Thank you so much, Sara.
Beautiful photos! Sunset/Sunrise photos always end up being my favorite travel shots!
Thank you.
Pretty epic looking sunsets, my friend. I can’t wait to get out to OBX and see a view like you shared from Duck Beach.
To answer your question, I’d say our favorite sunsets came from Thailand (Koh Chang) and sunrise in Korea (Naksan Beach).
I bet Thailand and Korea are magnificent. Parts of the world I need to explore more. I look forward to reading your OBX articles: “Duke Does Duck!”