I had never seen colors like this before. The horizon shifted through every shade at once, blue into violet, violet into gold. It felt like the morning was painting the day into existence.

I stood on the edge of Marco Island, wanting to hold onto the moment. I wanted to bring it home so I could remember it.

I experimented with shutter speed, watching how the long exposure and neutral density filter transformed the water into soft color and quiet motion. The scene became a pastel painting made only from light.

It felt like a gift. It reminded me of the Peace Valley sunrise back home. Two different places and two different mornings, yet the same truth: light is always revealing something new if we are still enough to witness it.