Nearly every day, before most of us have poured our first cuppa, Bugsy Sailor is already standing outdoors, camera in hand, waiting for the first light to break.
What began as a simple goal, to watch every sunrise in 2019, became a daily ritual that shaped not only his own life but the mornings of thousands of people who follow along on Instagram. “I never looked back,” he said. “I’ve missed one sunrise in seven and a half years.”
The project has become something of a local institution, with thousands watching his social media channels to see the sunrise represented through Sailor’s lens.
But for Sailor, the photos have never been the entire point. “The best experience is being there,” he said. “A photo will never do justice to what it feels like.”
That philosophy feels fitting for someone whose life has always been tied to the natural world, and particularly the U.P.’s unique expression of it. Sailor grew up in Baraga before heading to Michigan State University and spending about a decade in the Lansing area working as a web developer and designer.
Even while living downstate, though, the Upper Peninsula never really let go of him. “I think there’s a piece of my soul that’s buried somewhere in the middle of Lake Superior,” he said. “It’s always pulling me back.”
That pull eventually brought him to Marquette in 2014. He arrived with a new camera, a new car, and a tradition of greeting the first sunrise of every New Year somewhere along the Great Lakes. But after settling into life in Marquette, Sailor realized he wasn’t getting outside as much as he wanted: his camera spent more time on a shelf than in his hands.
His daily sunrise self-challenge, which started as a New Year’s Resolution in 2019, changed all of that.
Today, his routine begins well before dawn. During May and June, alarms ring shortly after 5 a.m.—sometimes earlier—as sunrise creeps toward the earliest hours of the day.
Summer is the hardest season, he admits. The days are long, the nights are short and coffee shops aren’t even open by the time he’s finished photographing the sunrise.
But he wouldn’t trade it for a later photo op. While beaches fill with people at sunset, sunrise often belongs to just a handful of early risers, and that’s part of the magic: “Sunrise is just so much more peaceful. You have everything to yourself.”
There are details, he says, that only exist in those first moments of the day: fresh dew on the grass, untouched snow before the first footprints, birds beginning to stir and a quiet that disappears once the rest of the world wakes up.
It’s a perspective he’s eager to share. “I keep telling people, ‘Get out here,’” he said. “It’s such a peaceful way to start the day.”
That appreciation for the Upper Peninsula extends well beyond sunrise.
As owner of Upper Peninsula Supply Company in downtown Marquette, Sailor channels his creativity into apparel, artwork and gifts inspired by life in the U.P. A growing gallery now features a photograph for every day of the year, and visitors often stop in to find a specific sunrise from a birthday, anniversary, or memorable trip. “I love talking with people about what brought them to Marquette,” he said. “Whether it’s their first visit or their first time seeing Lake Superior, those conversations are a lot of fun.”
He’s also one of the driving forces behind Marquette’s Fresh Coast Film Festival, which celebrates documentary films focused on outdoor adventure, conservation and life in the Great Lakes. What started as a small event has grown into one of the community’s signature weekends, bringing filmmakers and audiences together every October.
Despite the many projects on his plate, witnessing sunrise remains a constant.
Last spring, he began experimenting with black-and-white photography as a creative challenge to keep the project fresh. When some followers complained that they missed the vibrant colors, Sailor’s response was to encourage them to get up, get out and witness the sunrise in person.
“If you want to see the full color you’ve got to go see it yourself,” he said.
Perhaps that’s the lesson hidden inside seven years of early mornings: the photographs are beautiful, but they’re really just invitations–not the whole experience.
For Sailor, the real magic begins before the rest of the world wakes up, standing on the shore and facing east as another day in the Upper Peninsula begins.