Sunset forecast!

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AndyG123

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Totally random one here guys! So last night I'm sat down giving my son his tea and the subsets were beautiful... Unfortunately I wasn't in a position where I could have photographed them because it was very spontaneous and I generally have to plan my photo days out.

What do you guys look for in the sky to think 'tonight is going to be an amazing sunset'
Are they any early tell tale signs?(2-3 hours before)

What does make a good sunset?
 
I use an app called ClearOutside which has lots of weather information. I'll look for wind speeds (calm is better), no low or medium cloud, but some high cloud (maybe 20-50%). I've not figured out how to find particular atmospheric conditions yet, but generally those bright red sunsets are caused by particules in the atmosphere which help to defract the light.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45973366
Some pointers in this, but to get a really nice effect you generally need some cloud [to be lit up] in just the right place, you can't really predict that more than a few minutes ahead.
To be honest unless you have good foreground interest such as reflections, silhouetted ruin, church etc the results are often a little disappointing.

On the BBC page the best shot I thought was the lit up street scene.
 
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It was a belter last night wasn't it? And a beautiful pink afterglow. The light just before sunset was really lovely too. As usual, I was driving /working. :(
 
Some of the best sunsets come with clearing of a low pressure area and the arrival of a high. High pressure tends to trap particles in the air that scatter the light and give the colours This can be just low cloud moving away eastwards or a period of rain clearing from the west towards the time of sunset.

However, as said above it can change very quickly and what looked as if it was going to be a good one can fizzle out very easily.

Just one of the joys of landscape photography.:)

Dave
 
Tuesdays was the best, heading dead into sunset towards london the change from pinks to a deep red and the fade away was one of the best ive seen
im not in a position to predict a sunset, it happens when im in position or it doesnt. what i have found is you need a clear horizon or atleast a gap in any cloud bank close to the horizon and then cloudy streaks in the western sky to overhead.

Had a great day in london with a prebooked view form the top of the Shard. sky was looking great for either a coloured horizon or reasonable sunset. then 30 minutes before sunset a bank of cloud moved in from the west and put pay to any colour
 
In general, the meteorology of it is relatively simple. To have a “nuclear sunset”, it’s often when low sun just around the horizon is underlighting high clouds. The sunlight will be orange/red in colour as it goes through more of the atmosphere due to the angle. So, a layer of high cloud, with a gap just along the horizon for the sun to shine through will be rather cool. If the cloud is too low, it’ll tend to block out the sun or the curvature of the earth will stop the underlighting happening.

As an afternoon progresses, I’ll be looking at the height of clouds. If it’s looking like a nice high layer, then I’ll start getting interested. As it gets towards sunset I’m looking to see if there’s a gap at the horizon. If so, it’s going to be worth getting out (if I’m not already out). Often, the gap along the horizon closes at exactly the wrong time which is clearly very annoying!
 
The skies were fantastic all afternoon on Wednesday, lots of wispy cirrus clouds and a clear horizon. I thought it could be a good sunset but what I think topped it off was the mackerel clouds that appeared. Just wish I’d been out with the camera instead of watching at home!
 
I would suggest it depends on where you are and prevailing conditions I get a lot of sunsets over the sea that a few miles inland amount to not much at all.

Long periods of dry weather under a high pressure system will lead to more colour at sunset as the polution inthe air build even if there are little or no clouds

sunset pier by Alf Branch, on Flickr

If the weather clears at the horizon around sunset the colours can really light up the clouds

After periods of rain the air is clearer and you get harsher light and you may want to shoot away from the sun before the sun sets. Many photographers walk away from the location far too soon its best if you have time to wait.


Sometimes you just need to speculate
 
ihasa said:
It was a belter last night wasn't it? And a beautiful pink afterglow. The light just before sunset was really lovely too. As usual, I was driving /working. :(
Click to expand...

That night was a beauty. I was out photographing other stuff and it caught me by surprise, but it was clear it was going to be a corker once the colour started to come in so I hung around, enjoying the location and watching the colour develop (always worth waiting)

Which is my answer to Andy's original question, I don't get to go out nearly as much as I'd like so when I do I have to make it count and try to not have anything else arranged so I can loiter.

So I don't look at the forecast too much, I get out, explore and wait to see what happens. If my last image of the day is a sunset and a horizon, well it's an image. If I can get a composition, with a sunset, then even better. I'm out, I've enjoyed what the world has to offer and maybe I've got an image or two as well. What better way to spend a day.

Here's my 2 images from that night, not much by way of composition but they'll do for me.

Devils point sunset West.jpg Devils point sunset East Final.jpg
 
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