Sunrise or Sunset???

[rmh159]

Unimaxium posted this article in another thread.

In the article it's discussed which times of the day to get pictures and he says "9 / 10 sunrises are a waste of time."

So my question to all of the more experienced photographers is... only considering the photo potential (so I'm not looking for "I shoot at sunset cuz waking up early sucks.") ... do you prefer to shoot at sunset or sunrise?

 

[DepthAfield]

Sunsets, in my opinion, generally offer better color. Reason? There is more diffused dust in the air.

 

[skiboarder72]

great article, i love getting the fog in the morning... you don't get that during a sunset

 

[srobb]

I think it just depends on the conditions. I actually have not shot a sunset for a long time. This is probably one of the best sunrises I have ever shot.

 

[Big Mike]

If you are actually shooting the sky, then I agree with DepthAField,...there is more dust & stuff in the air late in the day, which can make for more colors.

On the other hand, if the sunset/sunrise is not your subject...and you are more concerned about the great quality of natural light...then mornings are good because there is not as much dust & dirt in the air. Also, you can get dew in the morning...and plenty of wildlife activity.

 

[zedin]

I never seem to have luck with sunrises. Though living on the west coast probably has something to do with that. Often there is a marine layer so is cloudy in the mornings (aka no view of sun) or the light is very cold. I much prefer the warmer tones you get at sunset (provided there isn't stilll a marine layer )

 

[Unimaxium]

I'm a bigger fan of sunsets I think, although I'm not normally up early enough to take many sunrises so I can't say I have as much experience there. But my favorite time of day is at twilight, just after the sun goes down and the sky becomes an amazing deep blue color. Here are a couple I took the other day (click on 'em to see more at my flickr page)...

 

[Mohain]

... if the sunset/sunrise is not your subject...and you are more concerned about the great quality of natural light...then mornings are good because there is not as much dust & dirt in the air.

I have to agree. I set my alarm and managed to get up at 4am a few weeks ago with the aim of taking some landscapes. I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful light. The land was bathed in a beautiful gold/purple colour, I swore I would do it again the next day. Needless to say I slept through

 

[Big Mike]

Ya, I rarely make the effort to get up that early. Although, there is something special about being up and waiting for the sunrise...It just feels different than a sunset.

 

[ksmattfish]

I prefer to be out shooting at sunrise more than sunset, although I rarely actually shoot the sunrise itself. I'm just there for the angle of the light, the color of the light, the fog, and the lack of people. The transition from day to night seems more a part of the human world to me than the transition from night to day; I hear less trucks in the distance, etc... If I was after colored clouds in the sky sunset is definately more likely to produce that in my neck of the woods.

 

[j_mcquillen]

Get up early!!!

Waking up before everyone else rocks!... Ok... it does mean getting up at 3:00 am in the summer to get to your spot before the sun breaks the horizon - but it can be well worth it.

At the sunrise, there is often much less polloution in the atmosphere, so you get a clearer, totally different quality of light. There are also far fewer people around, so getting that all important shot of an abandoned beach is much easier.

So if you're not sure which to shoot... then get up early and shoot both sunrise and sunset - check the results and then decide if its worth the effort to get up early

 

[D-50]

I would say they are equal, both have their positives, the hardest part about shooting sunrises aside from the early morning wake up is you never know if its going to be worth it. Many time you can tell a sunset is going to be good because of the weather in the late afternoon, sunrise is a crapshoot although it is great being up that early before anyone else. Even if the sunrise is a bust the peace and quiet are great. I've shot a couple sunrises over Boston and its interesting to see the city wake up When you get out there there will be a coulpe joggers, maybe some one walking a dog but the streets are bare by the time you head out the city will be bustling with activity and people. You can get some great shots of abondoned city streets that early as well.