Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com
Technique 24
pre-dawn light was blue, then purple and red. The mixed tones on my chosen entry were just before the light turned golden.” Of course the look of the sunset that’s best for you, depends on your own style of photography, as Jeremy Barrett (vuzephotography.co.uk), who has had several pictures included in the annual LPotY bookand last yearwon the classic viewcategory, points out: “I tend to concentrate on moody, atmospheric images, so I onlyheadoutwhen the Met Office has predicted dark sky, rain and sun in equal measures – a sturdy brolly is always part of my kit!” Andy Tibbetts (andydounephotography. co.uk), who started his photography 40 years ago upon moving to West Scotland, echoes this when he spots good sunset conditions, “ideally I want an occluded or cold front clearing to the east (a gap in the cloudon thewesternhorizon to allow the sun through and some cloud to reflect the light). However any cloud cover with breaks in it can produce the goods, and in winter even heavy stratocumulus with just a tiny gap to let the setting sunlight through can produce the most wonderful soft light on the landscape.” Ultimately though, while you can usually tell if there’s going to be a decent event, you can’t fully predict the full intensity of it, in the same way weather forecasters struggle to be totally accurate in their own predictions. With all his landscaping experience, Cornwall’s Ross Hoddinott (rosshoddinott.co.uk), who has had a number Highly Commended and Commended images in LPotY over the past couple of years, knows “you can never be sure quite what to expect. However, there is one main thing you can do to maximise the chances of success – be there.” What that means is getting out there in the elements and chancing your arm; if you don’t go to the party youwon’t get to dance. If the weather is turning rainy, don’t turn back, as youmight get a break at the last minute. “The more trips out you make, the better your chances are of getting that great light and your winning LPOTY capture,” Frank concludes. Where the sunset meets the scene So,whentherearesunriseandsunsetconditions in the offing, where should you be lugging your tripod to? It’s important to remember that, even if you have favourite locations, they may not workaswell asyou’d like inconjunctionwiththe rising or setting sun, mainly due to its changing position through the year. For example, awinter sunriseoccursinadifferentpointofthecompass to a summer one, shifting fromnorth to south. Living on the south coast, Frank Leavesley takes advantage of the southerly winter sunrise and sunsets, and notes that “by summer, to get the sunrise, you need an east-facing bay for a sunrise and west-facing for sunset. The famous Durdle Door is a perfect example; it’s possible to catch the sun rising through the arch in winter. In contrast, Old Harry’s Rocks on the South coast is better in the early summerwhen the sun rises in linewith the rocks.” Ross Hoddinott mentions one of his Commended images in LPotY last year as another example “taken at Trebarwith Strand – one of my favourite locations – I intentionally visitedatatimewhenthesunsetjustnexttoGull Rock out to sea – a key compositional element. At other times of the year, the sun sets further round, disappearing altogether fromview.” Most winning landscape photographers use technology to help them in planning when and where will respond best to dawn and dusk conditions. For instance Paul Bullen (paulbullenphotography.com), whose debut entry to last year’s competitionwas commended by the judges, keeps a Google map of his favourite locations, updating itwithnotes on the best times of year and day for them: “Southport pier is on my hit list to take when the sun sets directly at the end of it, hopefully creating dark silhouettes of the curved ironwork, against the
setting sun. There is also a copse of trees on Crummock Water that would work well with the sun setting behind them.” All the LPotY photographers we spoke to namechecked apps like The Photographer’s Ephemeris, PhotoPills and LightTrac, which give detailed information about the position of the sun throughout the year; they help enormously in planning where to shoot, as you can visualise the scene before arriving. “Similarly,” add Jeremy, “tide tables can be vital for the right conditions in the rest of the scene; when planning sunset coastal shots it’s great if you can coincide the high tide being an hour or so before sunset so that the rocks in the scenearewetandreflectingthelightandcolour.” For Andy Tibbetts, the jagged horizons of the mountains means nearly all his favourite locations are season specific; “for some places in the hills and glens, this means the best angles of the sun are limited to just a few days a year. An example would be my image where the rising sun sits behind the top of Sgurr na Ciche taken from Luinne Bheinn – it happens for only a few mornings in the year.Winter sunsets only shine into glens that face south-west and throw all others into deep shadow. Inmid summer it’s the ones that face north-west.” That’s not to forget the power that a sunset or sunrise can have over a location that doesn’t otherwise inspire, and you may find the colour
Above Due South by Jeremy Barrett. Shooting in Hove, East Sussex, the sunset light reflects from the English Channel, churned up by Jeremy’s 1sec exposure. Below Fog Burner by Keith Britton, showing Castleton fromMam Tor, Derbyshire. Keith was at the summit well before sunrise in zero visibility and was about to give up when sun broke through. Bottom An Teallach by Guy Richardson, showing a sunrise with spindrift.
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