Sunrise help.

[bass_junkie83]

I have been wanting to take advantage of some of the coastal scenery down here at Leigh on Sea and would really like some nice sunset shots, but being on the east coast that isn't going to happen.

So i need to try my hand at sunrise shots, but it seems much more difficult. With a sunset you can make a decision on if it going to be worth heading out because you can see what's going on in the sky with the clouds and what not.
With a sunrise it seems all you can do is check the weather forecast and cross your fingers.

I was up at 4 the other morning just to see the sunrise and even though there was some clouds in the sky but not overcast which is ideal, there was very little colour in the sky, it was quite boring. :shrug:

So the question is, what makes a good sunrise and how do you prepare so that you have the best chance of a good shot?

 

[arclight]

I don't think good sunrise conditions occur as often as good sunset conditions (I base that on what I have seen in the places I have lived. There will be exceptions.)

You can really only plan what objects will be in the scene, Whether that is a boat, a tree, hill or whatever. After that it is lady luck.

I Googled sunrise pictures and saw quite a few examples. Quite a few were boring.

 

[ReddishSnapper]

For me it's always a case of hit and miss: I generally set the alarm and check the sky. If it looks clear then I don't bother but if there's a few clouds around then I'll head out. Even if the sunrise isn't fantastic, clear early morning light on interesting subject matter can produce some lovely images.

 

[bass_junkie83]

Cheers guys. I have spent some time this morning looking into the cause of red skies and it seems all too simple.

The red light is caused by something called Rayleigh scattering. The light is reflected about and scattered by atmospheric particles so long wavelength light tends to reach you first giving the red colour.

Makes sense i guess, during the day there is lots of activity, traffic etc all kicking up dust which will give a red sunset, while overnight it will settle making a red sunrise less common.

Doesn't really help, but hey ho.