Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is our family’s favorite summer vacation spot. We returned there this past week, and I brought my Canon DSLR (Rebel T3i) camera with me for the first time. I made sure to use protective filters for my lenses to keep them safe from sand and water!

Throughout the week, I used three different zoom lenses to capture the sunrises I saw on the beach. I experimented with a polarizing or UV (ultraviolet) filter when using these lenses. I also tinkered with my camera’s focusing point, seeing what would happen if I made the sunlight the photo’s main subject.

The lenses and filters I used were:

  1. Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM with a polarizing filter
  2. Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM with a UV filter
  3. Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM with a UV filter

A Vacation Adventure in Landscape Photography

I’m not well-versed in using filters for my lenses, so this was a great way to learn about them! Polarizing filters eliminate excess glare on reflective surfaces while amplifying the contrast in your shots. On the other hand, UV filters are used mainly as a protective barrier from harmful elements (in this case, sand, water, and windy debris).

I also learned that focusing your camera on the light will create ample contrast while underexposing other parts of the picture. While I love how those images came out, I recognize that the dramatic look caused by the contrast might make them seem unrealistic.

As a safety rule of thumb, always avoid looking directly at the sun and pointing your camera at it for too long. Protect your eyes and sensors, my friends!

For this blog post, I analyzed my favorite sunrise shots taken on each of my zoom lenses. I love these three pictures, and I had fun comparing them with each other!

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM + Polarizing Filter

My 55-250mm lens has given me some of my best birding shots. I’ve nicknamed it “Old Reliable” because it’s captured so many excellent pictures. This rang true for one of my first sunrise pictures at Hilton Head!

A picture of an orange-colored sunrise over the ocean, taken at the beach on Hilton Head Island.
1/500, f/8, ISO 640 at 64mm

Zooming in on the scene with the polarizing filter attached slightly amplified the orange color of the sky and sunlight. I’d say that the color scheme was mostly accurate, though it does look more like a sunset.

I’m still wondering what the best shutter speed is for ocean waves, specifically in the early morning. I’m pretty leery about avoiding unnecessarily high ISO amounts when there’s plenty of available light, and I consider ISO 640 a bit high for this shot.

Maybe 1/500 was acceptable for avoiding unwanted motion blur on the waves. I didn’t want to go too slow with my choice of shutter speed, and I do like how this came out. And I must say, f/8 on this lens has always given me reliable results!

I believe the focus point was somewhere on the waves. The scene would’ve had uneven exposure if it had been on the sunlight like the next shot in this post. The polarizing filter did a good job of reducing glare from the sunlight on the waves.

I love this orange-amber color! It’s so comforting to me.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM + UV Filter

This picture is what I consider to be my most “emotionally impactful” sunrise shot from last week. I’m so grateful that I was able to capture these sunbeams!

A serene picture of a radiant golden sunrise featuring multiple sunbeams over the beach at Hilton Head Island, with a few seabirds flying across the ocean.
1/1000, f/14, ISO 160 at 83mm

When I took this shot, I focused on the light reflecting off the sand, which created this highly contrasted exposure. As such, I must admit that while beautiful, this picture is a dramatic rendition of the sunrise. It was golden, but the waves didn’t look so dark!

My 70-300mm lens seems to create richer colors compared to my 55-250mm lens. That might be because it’s designed for full-frame cameras, while the 55-250mm is designed for crop cameras.

One of my favorite parts of this picture is the seabirds flying across the sky. Setting the shutter speed at 1/1000 allowed my camera to capture their movements across the sunbeams.

I love the contrast in this picture, but I’d like to caution other photographers against always focusing on light to create this effect. This exposure style was perfect for this particular sky, with clouds diffusing the morning sunlight. However, for more “traditional” sunrise scenes like the one below, even exposure is a better choice.

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM + UV Filter

Ironically, I used my Sigma lens the least for the sunrises last week. I say that this was ironic because this lens is what I usually use for my landscape shots.

The first time I used this lens for one of the sunrises, the sun was hidden behind a heavy cloud bank that only let some sunbeams out. Unfortunately, my Sigma lens didn’t have a far enough reach to zoom in enough on those sunbeams.

My personal (amateur) opinion is that this focal length doesn’t work as well for beach sunrises where the sun isn’t in plain sight. Conversely, it excels in sunrise scenes where the sun is shining without heavy cloud interference.

A picture of a sunrise over the beach and ocean at Hilton Head Island.
1/640, f/9, ISO 400 at 50mm

This time, I avoided focusing on the light, as I wanted to expose most of the picture without heavy contrast. I believe I placed the focus point just to the right of the reflected sunlight on the waves.

Capturing this scene was one of my biggest photography goals for our family vacation. I’ve taken similar shots on my smartphones, and getting an even better sunrise picture was incredibly important to me.

A large, golden sun rising over a beach with reflecting waters and incoming morning waves.
Taken on my Samsung S23 smartphone during our vacation to Hilton Head in 2024

I like that my Canon camera didn’t distort the sun and blow it out of proportion compared to my smartphone’s similar picture.

Choosing My Favorite Sunrise

After comparing these three sunrise pictures, I’d say that #2 is undoubtedly my favorite. The scene fills me with peace, especially the seabirds flying across the sunbeams.

I’m thankful for Adobe Lightroom’s “straighten” tool, which automatically adjusts your photo to make it even. It was a lifesaver for my sunrise shots and avoiding wonky horizons!

I highly recommend visiting Hilton Head Island. The sunrises and sunsets there are wondrous to behold! I love having the chance to take photos there, but I must say, seeing it with your own eyes is more profound than even the best pictures.

All Images and Video by Connor Brennan

Thank you for reading this blog post and supporting my photography! If you’d like to look at more of my photos, feel free to click on these links below: