Many of us never get to appreciate sunrise in Toronto. That's because we're annoyed to be out of bed at the crack of dawn. But if you feel like you're missing out, simply visit Taku Kumabe's feed on Instagram.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Feb 1, 2017 at 3:29am PST

Kumabe, who goes by @smaku, started capturing sunrises after he and a photographer friend went out to shoot early one morning. Before that, he mainly shot landscapes during the period that most of us are awake.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Jan 9, 2017 at 3:29am PST

"I realized oh you know, this [shooting at sunrise] could be a great opportunity for something different," he says. "And so after that I started going more and more. And each sunrise is different, so it kind of gets addictive."

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Jun 13, 2016 at 5:16pm PDT

Since he lives in the west end, Kumabe often shoots at Humber Bay and Colonel Sam Smith Park - this means he has a great view of the sun rising over the city.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Oct 18, 2016 at 4:11pm PDT

When he's not chasing the sun, Kumabe photographs nature, and he and his wife do lots of hiking in and around the city. He also likes to introduce his whopping 127,000 followers to green spaces within Toronto.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Nov 16, 2016 at 4:16am PST

"I’ve introduced other people to new places, so I find that a good motivation for me to go out and explore more so I can show my followers that there is greenery as long as you look in the right places and you know where to go," he says.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Mar 13, 2017 at 5:04pm PDT

Kumabe, who works full time as a designer, is a completely self-taught photographer. He picked up his first camera in the late 1990s, the day before a family vacation to Italy. While snapping photos of the trip, he got hooked.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Apr 20, 2016 at 6:10pm PDT

Now, he does freelance event and festival photography and also sells his prints online.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Jan 17, 2016 at 7:53am PST

He built his following by being featured on Instagram's suggested users list (twice) and also credits Toronto's close-knit Instagram community with helping to build up his profile.

A post shared by Taku Kumabe (@smaku) on Dec 11, 2016 at 7:27am PST

Instagram has allowed him to share his work, but it's also enabled him to connect with local photographers. And, he says, "It’s a form of inspiration for me as well."