September 2018: Santorini Sunrises

Everyone always talks about the sunsets in Santorini, Greece, but luckily the sunrises are pretty special too. We stayed in Oia, the town famous for its sunsets and three blue domes. I found that even in September, which is outside peak tourist season, the narrow walk-only streets of Oia are packed with tourists at sunset and it's impossible to find a good spot unless you arrive very early. So I decided to get up early every day and shared the place with some people on photography tours and wedding photographers (but very few tourists), and found some great spots for sunrise shots.

Santorini has dozens of blue-domed churches, but there are three domes that are particularly famous, and many postcards feature these domes.

The sight that excited me the most while in Santorini was the view of the caldera from the blue domes of Oia and the small town of Imerovigli towards the rising sun.  On the morning I took the shot below, there were low and thick clouds that were covering the hills and were obstructing any sunlight coming through.  Luckily, they disappeared in time for a spectacular view with some great sunrays.