Chasing Dawn in Siargao

There's something about Siargao at dawn that you can't find anywhere else. The palm trees are still silhouettes, the ocean is glass, and the only sound is the distant rumble of Cloud 9. I spent a week here shooting before sunrise — paddling out in the dark with just a headlamp and my housing, waiting for that first golden ray to hit the water. The surfers here are different too. They're not rushing. There's a respect for the ocean that shows in every turn, every duck dive. That energy translates directly into the images — you can feel the calm intensity. One morning, a local kid paddled up next to me and asked if I could take his photo. He'd been surfing since he could walk, he said. I shot him for twenty minutes as the sun came up behind Cloud 9. Those are some of my favorite frames from the entire trip. Siargao taught me that the best shots come when you stop chasing them. You show up, you wait, and you let the moment find you.