How can you tell if there is going to be a nice sunrise/ sunset

Kerioak

Kerioak

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Christine
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As title really - I live surrounded by trees and get the sun late and it leaves early so unless there is a really spectacular sunset/sunrise where the whole sky goes pink I don't see them.

Is there any sort of cloud formation you can see overhead from which you can tell there will be a colourful sunset ( and so I can drive out and find it)
 
snipsnap said:
The best sunrises occur when you haven't access to your camera.
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:bonk: This is so true it hurts!
Soooo hard to predict a good one, and I keep thinking nothing'll happen, leave the camera at home and then see an amazing show on the way home. :bang:
 
In terms of cloud, you're looking for a high base (strato/cirro etc) that's broken and preferably well clear of where the sun is setting.

That way the sun gets underneath the clouds and lights the bottom of them, which is what helps bring out the pink tinge. For the best colours you're often better off waiting for the 20 to 30 or so minutes after sunset when the sky turns a deep blue and there is still enough light reflected to illuminate the cloud base.
 
Nice sunsets every night this week.. Went out with the camera tonight.. It went behind clouds.
 
It is difficult as even went all the signs look good things can change so quickly.

There can be spectacular sunrises and sunset at any time of the year.

Check the forecast - if heavy rain is forecast around the time of the rise or set then there is little chance of seeing anything worthwhile. But if poor weather is forecast to break towards the end of the day there is a better chance, but there are no guarantees.

It a good idea to do as much preparation as you can.

Find the time and direction of the sunrise or set - the Photographer's Ephemeris is very useful for this

http://photoephemeris.com/

Use an OS map (either the real map or on line) to spot possible locations that could give an interesting shot.

Work out how long it will take you to get to a location so you can get there in plenty of time.

Then you'll be as ready as you can be to react if things look good.

Dave

Dave
 
Thanks for your replies, it seems it is mostly pure luck if I managed to pick a day with nice sunrise/sunset - one with a few clouds then go and and hope. I was lucky with the sunrise I caught the other morning but if I had just looked out of the window I would have thought - its grey, I am staying in bed but a mile or two down the road in the open it was stunning

I might go and visit Camber Sands and see what I can get down there sometime soon
 
I believe a photograph taken on the last day of a tour of GB by an american visitor still fetches huge sums of money just for prints.

It was taken at sunset looking west from the A1 as he was going south. He just stopped the car and took the shot. Around Doncaster or further north some miles.

I do know he is well known as a photographer but I can't recall his name as this was some years ago when I saw him on TV talking about it.
 
Was in Glencoe and Skye last week. Not a single sunrise or sunset all week. That was really annoying
 
I think reading the weather, following forecasts, and having camera at the readybatvall times increase the probability of photographing a great sunrise or sunset, but perseverance and an element of luck all play a part. Perseverance and determination I guess.
 
If you're lazy then winter is ideal since the sun rises at a later time and sets at an earlier time. I've heard that there are better colours in spring and fall.
 
You can never be 100 o/o sure , follow the weather forecasts and try to pick a time when the clouds don,t look to heavy and thick .
 
I'm new to this forum but I am a keen sailor and therefore weather has always been on the top of my agenda.

First, it depends from the latitude. The more away from the equator you are, the more time to catch a sunrise/sunset you have. In tropical areas, it lasts for seconds, literally.

Second, changes of weather are more interesting for sunset/sunrise photography than overcast/sunny weather, especially the time after rain, when the air is "cleaner".

Having said that, and now this is my opinion, sunrises are better with the bad weather incoming. This is due to the higher level of humidity in the air at horizon, still not present where you are shooting, and gives the red/golden colours to the sunrise.

Sunsets are the opposite - after the rain the air is much clearer and the effect nicer in photographs.

I do not live in the UK so am not familiar with the best weather forecast websites, but if you have a friend who is also a sailor he will for sure be able to point you to a website with a computer simulation of the next three days in 6 hours intervals. Longer forecasts are not that reliable, so I suggest you plan the sunrise/sunset shootings max two days in advance. If you plan to really get into forecasts, clouds are a good telltale, but knowing to read the sky takes a lot of time.
 
The main thing with sunrise photography is to be out there.

It sounds obvious but the more times you're out and about early the more amazing sunrises you'll see. I was away last week in Scotland on a photographic trip, of three mornings I was out one was a great sunrise, I still managed to get shots I am happy with of the other two mornings by being out and about early on. You can read my blog about my trip on my site.
 
I live in Qatar (Middle East) and the sunset lasts about a minute. At this time of year the sun is huge on the horizon and all this week driving home from work I have seen spectacular scenes. Tonight I will have my camera.

The best sunsets here are when it has blown a bit of a sandstorm during the day and during the sunset the whole country has a golden sheen to it.

The pic I am looking for is setting sun behind sand dunes.

CHEERS
 
I do a lot more sunrises than sunsets by my attitude is you have to be in it to win it. Get out there because you never know what will happen, get in position 45mins to an hour before sunrise and even if the weather looks awful, when the cloud breaks for a couple of minutes to reveal gorgeous light you'll be there to catch it.
 
I agree you have to be out there and watching weather forecasts is important.

Watch out for Cold Fronts approaching they will give you cumulus clouds (large towering clouds) in the sky. Warm fronts tend to give much flatter clouds.

Just keep an eye on the weather and maybe do some digging on the net about how to read weather charts etc.
 
I'm lucky to live near mountains and over Xmas have been watching the weather forecast ready to spring into action, but for 7 solid days the forecast has just predicted continual grey days. However, during that time I've seen the weather break giving potentially great lighting conditions. To have waited in the hills for these occasional glimpses would have taken some real determination but I conclude that you need to be out waiting for these moments. As someone once said - the more you get out - the luckier you become!
 
If you can see a good sunrise out of your window you're already too late, I'd always try and be at your location a good 45mins before sunrise... check the forecast the night before and as long as it's not 100% cloud or raining get out there and see what happens is my advice
 
I seem to remember hearing (ages ago so I can't remember where) - that a days rain made it less likely for there to be a good sunset. The reasoning was that dust particles in the air reduce the amount of sunlight that, together with more atmosphere to go through at the low angles at sunset, go together to give the nice red colours. These dust particles would be washed out by the rain reducing the chance of a good sunset.

The other thing I've learnt is "don't give up". I was out on saturday and saw another guy pack up at around 4:30 (sunset was down as being at 5pm) - and remember thinking that he was quitting way too early. By 5:30 there was quite a decent sunset - not the best due to the amount of heavy cloud - but a darn sight better than it was an hour before......
 
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Pretty much what everyone else says.

It's very very difficult to predict a cracking sunrise/sunset with any degree of accuracy.

That said there are things you can do to maximise the chance

1: Scope out the location first, check out the lie of the land and pre visulize the image you want to take

2: Work out the time the sun will rise/set and where, the Photographer's Ephemeris is ideal for this.

3: Check out local weather forcasts. Others here have explained the conditions you'll be after better than I can.


Above all else, get out there!
 
If we knew that then everyone would be a landscape photographer! Some of the best sun rises/sets have been when they look most unlikely all it takes is for a small band of clear sky on the horizon for it to be spectacular and even then those moments can only last minutes if not less. I had a recent trip to Snowdonia and Scotland where we only had a view of sunlight for less than 10% of the trip but it was some of the best light I had witnessed.

I constantly follow forecasts and check TPE but be warned, you can get fixated by the forecasts and never go out! So make sure you only use it as a guideline, the best way to predict them is if you get out there and look for yourself.
 
Sure way to predict a cracking sunset is the day I forget to bring the camera into the office...
 
greenoak said:
Was in Glencoe and Skye last week. Not a single sunrise or sunset all week. That was really annoying
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Must have been a long day or was it a long night :LOL:

It just seems to be luck of the draw, best advice has already been given. Scout your location, check when the the set/rise is going to be, get there in plenty of time and then hope it happens.
 
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