Which is better sunrise or sunset

Same camera, same white balance settings. Note that using editing programs the difference can be made less noticeable, and even transform a sunrise image into a sunset one.

I would love to be able to give you a comparison of the same scene in both situations, but this is not possible due to Variable 2. One of the main differences between sunrise and sunset is drumroll,… that the sun does not rise and set at the same spot.

Imagine you want to take a photo of the sun on the horizon from a beautiful beach. Depending on where this beach is, the sun will rise from the ocean or set from the ocean. Therefore, this will determine when you take the photo. Well, unless you are in a pole. Moreover, the position of the sun is not the same throughout the year, so some photos might only be possible to take once or twice a year.

Fortunately, there is a way to know the exact sun position. Many apps or webpages can tell you this. My favourite one although not the most user-friendly one is Photopills, a very complete app not free that will show you the exact sun position, and the predicted sunset position, not only on the map but also on augmented reality using your smartphone camera.

Here you have an example from a recent sunset session I did at the Basque Country. Select the position, see the augmented reality version, and take the photo! It is not a secret that taking a sunrise photo requires waking up very early. Again, it will depend on the season and the place where you are, but generally speaking, sunrises requires getting out of bed before the people stop partying.

And it has its pros and its cons. On the other hand, the sunsets can happen very late, mostly during summer season. If you like waiting for the blue hour, you could be taking photos almost until midnight. However, sunrises tend to be less massified. This is why I prefer going on sunrise missions. Almost no people, and bluish lights, a dream.

But that spare time can be really nice. HIking down at night can be troublesome, though. There are a couple of factors to get that perfect glow on top of the mountains. The main factor is the direction the sun is coming from.

The best one that I use all the time is SunCalc. Clicking that link will bring you to Spirit Island, but you can search or enter the coordinates for any location in the world. Once you know the location, planning a trip to get the best shot is easy, and a great way to get out of a photography lull!

Getting there on time is always the hardest part. I designed this one for new photographers who are interested in learning what it takes to become an award-winning photographer. Login to your courses. However there is something magical about having the first footprints on the sand. Throughout the day pollutant particles caused by human activities are created and expelled into the atmosphere.

At sunset these particles are airborne and create haze. Such hazes vary but act to diffuse the colours and clarity of the view. This is a much greater problem in built up areas but the effect can still be noticed even in the most beautiful and remote spots.

Overnight though these airborne particles settle back down to earth leaving the atmosphere much cleaner and rejuvenated by sunrise. Sunrise shoots have the benefit of less people wandering around… there is something magical about having the first footprints on the sand. Every morning is unique and spectacular whether a dull drizzly one or a pure sunrise of stunning morning colours and that is what we aim to capture.

However if you choose to you can use a polarizing filter to reduce the appearance of haze in your sunset image. If there is a fair amount of haze though there is very little you can do. The light is vastly different as well between the two with sunrise light being a cooler temperature with more bluish tones due to the light not bouncing off atmospheric particles. As the dawn approaches and the sunrise the colours change but are equally as intense as the blue tones for the same reason.

Of course this often means that sunsets have more colours that sunrises. You can unsubscribe at any time.