Sunrises And Sunsets

The two images posted here are the last sunrises I photographed (October, 2016).  Both were made in Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Foothills Parkway.  If you get there in the late fall, you owe it to yourself to go to this spot and make your sunrise images.  You won't regret it. (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T2; 50-140mm f/2.8 lens @ 68mm; 1/13th sec. @ f/22; ISO 200

I almost never photograph sunrises or sunsets, not that there is anything wrong with doing so.  Lots of people, with phone, camera or whatever, love to photograph sunrises and sunsets.  They are overwhelmed with the brightness of the sun as it crosses the horizon and the wonderful palate of yellows, oranges and reds mixed with blues.  I admit it is a wonderful sight.

Over the many, many years I've been making photographs, I bet I've photographed hundreds of sunrises and sunsets.  At some point in time I lost interest in photographing them for the sake of just photographing the beautiful scene itself, except when on the rare occasion I see the sun setting in a special way and feel compelled to stop and make an image.  I much rather pause my life momentarily and just watch with awe.  To me, that is much more satisfying as a camera can never quite capture the brilliance of the sun and the colors produced when it is very low in the atmosphere.

As a photographer I regularly hear from either non-photographers, new or novice photographers how they love to photograph sunrises and sunsets because of how beautiful they are.  I think that is just great. My hope is for them to find subjects that get their creative juices flowing and motivate them to get out and photograph what makes them happy.  If sunrises and sunsets do it for them, all the better.

As for me, it is not that I find them boring.  I guess it is because I had photographed so many of them over the years that the act of the sun rising or setting no longer motivates me.

That said, I will include the rising or setting sun as an element in an overall scene.  The rising or setting sun is just an added element to improve visual interest, as I said, not just for the spectacle and colors caused by the sun itself.  But that is just me.

Now, what I do like is the early morning and late afternoon winter sun.  I especially like the late afternoon winter sun which seems extra warm and produces those long, long dark shadows!  That kind of light will get me out every time.  For me, the winter afternoon light is much better than the morning light.  I know it is similar but those afternoons when the air is cold and devoid of moisture and that warm sunlight streaks across the landscape, cityscape, body of water or anywhere else is really special.

Fujifilm X-T2; 50-140mm f/2.8 lens @ 68mm; 1/13th sec. @ f/22; ISO 200 (click to enlarge)

If you like to photograph sunrises and sunset, be my guest.  I encourage you to do so and I encourage you to stay around for about an hour afterwards because the light gets even better during the golden and blue hours.  One trick I learned 30 or more years ago when shooting film is to take a meter reading of the sky with the sun just out of your frame.  That reading should give you a beautifully exposed image.

Join me over at my website, www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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