“With a moonless sky this early morning, it is eerily dark out here, and I can feel the weight of the hot and humid South Florida air. As I head toward the sound of the rolling ocean surf ahead of me, the soft beach sand shifts beneath my feet, making it hard for me to walk while balancing my two cameras and a heavy tripod. Even though I go out like this virtually every morning, it never gets old, and once again I am starting to get excited. I can even feel my breathing increase as I approach the shoreline. These are all welcome signs that I’m fully alive right now and am engaged in what I call “magic time.” It’s that ungodly hour of the day when most normal people are still safely at home, asleep in their comfortable beds––blissfully unaware that they are on the verge of missing out on one of the best lightshows on all of planet earth: The tropical sunrise!” ––Mark Potter

It is the unvarnished truth that all of Mark Potter’s bright and colorful sunrise photographs began from tragedy and grief, and were taken in memory of his wife who died from cancer. But as miracles sometimes have it, the images turned out to be the exact opposite of the way they began. They are upbeat and exciting, but also comforting and calming while capturing the natural world of Florida as it awakens to each new day with not only sunrises, but also seascapes, wildlife, marine life, flora, and fauna.

Mark Potter is a 41-year veteran of television news and was a correspondent for ABC News, CNN, and NBC News. He has devoted his retirement to photographing Florida’s sunrises, wildlife, and nature. He is a longtime resident of South Florida.