Who understands! For this 【Moon Bay】, I chased the sunrise in Quanzhou for three days!

I am a photography traveler, and capturing the world through my lens is my mission. On this trip to Quanzhou Moon Bay, I shot many stunning scenes. Now, through these photos, I’ll take you to experience the breathtaking scenery here and share some photography tips along the way!

🌅 Golden Beginning: The "Moon on the Sea" wildly popular in the photography community

I had long heard that Quanzhou hides a "glowing beach." When the drone swept over the 180° crescent-shaped bay, I finally understood—this is not Earth! The 5-kilometer coastline is carved by tides into textures resembling the lunar surface, paired with the rotating blades of Asia’s largest wind farm. Every shot looks like a sci-fi movie poster.

📸 Stunning Scenery: A race against time with light and shadow

1. Blue Hour: The lunar surface first appears

- Shooting time: 30 minutes before sunrise (5:00-5:30)

- Shooting tips:

- Use a wide-angle lens from a low angle looking up, forming a triangular composition with the wind turbine blades and the sea horizon

- Focus on close-ups of the beach, capturing the salt crystal reflections in the intertidal zone (ISO100 | F11 | Shutter 2 seconds)

- Hidden Easter egg: At low tide, the beach reveals the Ming Dynasty shipwreck site; a telephoto lens can capture the silhouette of wooden masts

2. Sunrise Moment: The golden coastline awakens

- Best time: 6:00-6:15 (the moment the sun rises above the sea)

- Creative techniques:

- Use slow shutter speed to capture waves crashing on rocks, freezing the foam explosion effect

- Have the model stand under the wind turbine blades, shooting backlit hair glow

- Reference settings: F8 | ISO200 | Shutter 1/500 sec | Focal length 70-200mm

3. Noon Magic: Salt fields and wind turbines in cyberpunk style

- Shooting time: 12:00-14:00 (top light + high contrast)

- Shooting secrets:

- Drone overhead shots of the geometric arrays of salt fields and wind turbine blades

- Use a polarizing filter to eliminate water surface reflections, highlighting the pink crystals of the salt fields

- Unexpected surprise: After the tide recedes at noon, the beach reveals the "tidal trees" phenomenon, with stunning aerial views

4. Dusk Magic: Golden Crescent Bay

- Best time: 1 hour before sunset (17:30-18:30)

- Hidden spots:

- Use long exposure in the reef area to capture the misty effect of waves, with wind turbine blades as the foreground

- Shoot couple silhouettes on the beach boardwalk, with rotating wind turbine blades creating bokeh in the background

📷 Photography Mysticism Revealed

✅ Creative Composition Methods:

- Symmetry aesthetics: Use the bay’s center as the axis, with wind turbine blades and rocks forming mirror symmetry

- Displacement art: Have the model reach out to "hold" the rotating wind turbine blades, creating a surreal effect

- Leading lines: Use beach tire tracks or tidal patterns as leading lines pointing toward the sun

✅ Prop Tricks:

- Bring a silver reflector to fill light for clearer beach portraits

- Use a black card to locally reduce light, balancing the sky and ground exposure

✅ Weather Surprises:

- Shoot wind turbine blades piercing through clouds on rainy days, creating an apocalyptic wasteland vibe

- Use high shutter speed during typhoons to freeze the violent beauty of waves crashing on wind turbine bases

🚫 Pitfall Guide (A photographer’s painful history)

⚠️ Tide trap: Always check the tide table in advance! I was once trapped in the reef area by rising tide and had to escape on a fisherman’s sampan

⚠️ Sunburn assassin: The beach reflects UV rays intensely! Tested SPF50+ sunscreen clothing plus a fisherman's hat is a lifesaver

⚠️ Crowd bomb: Weekend mornings are packed with tour groups; early morning at 6 AM or weekdays are recommended for shooting

🌌 Dusk Notes: Writing a poem of light on the lunar surface

When the last ray of sunlight kissed the wind turbine blades, I packed up my tripod and noticed my shadow stretching long, intertwining with the tidal patterns on the beach. I recommend wearing light-colored clothes because you’ll find yourself walking back and forth on the beach ten times—I ended up walking 20,000 steps like this 😂 Now I understand why photographers say "Moon Bay is the closest place to the moon." I’m afraid sharing this will turn it into a trendy check-in spot, so everyone, shoot and cherish it!