I love those ‘heck yea’ type of friends. The ones that don’t need any convincing to do something crazy. This fellow photographer friend of mine texted me at 10pm, asking if I was up for a sunrise hike to Nockstein (20min drive from Salzburg) the next morning. I was like “Are you kidding me?? Of course! ALWAYS!!” So packed my stuff and went straight to bed, but honestly, I was too excited to sleep. So with sleepy eyes but full of adrenaline, I hopped into my car at 4:30am.

The hike was steep but short, and the views were already breathtaking on the way up. Clouds in the valley, pink sky, chirping birds and fresh air. Slightly out of breath and with a huge smile on our faces, we reached the top at around 5:20, just in time for the sun to rise.

Single tree in the sunrise with mountains, Nockstein Salzburg

Before sunrise at Nockstein Salzburg with clouds and mountains

We also met this other really cool photographer up there, so there were no worries about having enough content of the morning. There is actually a challenging thing about being a photographer, wanting to capture everything, and also trying to be in the moment, taking it all in at the same time. But I think with some conscious minutes without camera, just staring at the incredible view made it work.

Sunrise is not for everyone. Waking up early can be hard, I get it. But oh man, that first touch of sunlight on your skin as the sun peeks over the horizon.. And watching the world slowly come to life. It’s definitely something special.

Sunrise from Nockstein Salzburg with warm sunlight and fog in the walley

After the sun was completely up and all the photos were taken, we spent the next hour or so with tea in the hand, talking about photography and life, which was probably one of the most real and honest conversations that I had in a while. I feel like as photographers, we often feel alone just doing our thing, trying to figure everything out on our own, so when a couple of like-minded creatives with different perspectives and experiences come together on a random mountain peak, there will definitely be some meaningful thoughts to share.

Anyways, I hope you get to see the sunrise at least a couple of times in your life. And to be real, not every sunrise is this magical. We were lucky. (Okay, we actually checked the weather forecast, but still) But that’s what makes days like these even more unforgettable. So go, grab some friends and get out there!

If you’re interested in any prints from this post, let me know :)

Nockstein sunrise

Velirium cafe