Getting up before dawn has two primary advantages. 1. The light! It's really all about the light, and the most dramatic and beautiful light is usually right around daybreak or sunset. 2. People, or rather the lack of. Patience only stretches so far when you are trying to compose a shot and people just wander aimlessly around, messing up your shot. Get up early! You may not enjoy it, but you won't be sorry that you did. :-)