Sunrise vs Sunset photography: things you need to know

Discover the main differences between sunrise and sunset photography. Learn how to make the most out of each light condition!

Do you remember the first time you took a photo of a sunrise or sunset? I do. I was on a family vacation, by the sea, and I realized that the sun would set just behind a little island. The final image was terrible, with a crooked horizon, overexposed, and a complete lack of anything that resembled a good composition,… But at that time I was super proud of my photography.

What made it special was the light. The sky was on fire, and the light was just perfect. After this day, I have captures hundreds of sunrises and sunsets, not to say thousands. However, they are not the same. Sunrise and sunset are great moments for photography, but each one has something special.

What is the best option, sunrise or sunset? To answer this question you need to know what are the main differences between sunrise vs sunset in photography!

Sunrise vs sunset: terminology

There are two concepts that I will be talking about a lot in this article. If you already know what golden hour and blue hour mean, you can skip this section. Otherwise, I recommend reading the following lines.

What is the blue hour?

The blue hour is a period of time that happens before sunrise and after sunset. The main characteristic of this time of the day is the blueish light that dominates the atmosphere. The reason why this happens is long and difficult to explain. Nonetheless, you can visualize the blue hour as the moment when the sun has already set or still has to rise.

The main reason why blue hour is appreciated in photography is because of its soft light and special tones. Especially in cities, or night landscapes, the light is way better during the blue hour than at nighttime.

What is the golden hour?

Before the blue hour (during sunset) and after the blue hour (during sunrise), there is the golden hour. If you want a quick and practical definition of what the golden hour is, this might work. The golden hour is that moment of the day when you feel the urge to grab your phone or camera and start taking photos. When the light takes a yellowish, golden tone that coincides with the sunrise or sunset moment.

The duration of the golden hour depends on many things, such as the location or the season. In places like the arctic circle, it can even last for most of the day during the summer months!

Sunrise vs sunset differences

Light quality

I used to believe that sunrise and sunset lights were identical, that the only thing that changed was what the sun was doing.

But this is not true. Although in both situations we have a blue hour and a golden hour period, the light is not identical. Sunrises tend to have a more bluish tone, whereas sunsets tend to have a yellower tone. This difference can be more noticeable at the moment that the sun sets or rises, as in one case, after many hours of darkness the sun rises, and in the other case, the sun sets after illuminating the scene for hours. Some people say that this difference can be due to the greater number of particles in the atmosphere during sunset. Temperatures do play a crucial factor here as well.

Nonetheless, both situations can lead to magical skies, burning with colours, but I prefer sunrise tones. The scene goes from complete darkness to a slowly growing light that I find magical. As a comparison, here you have two unedited images from sunrise and sunset.

Sun position

One of the main differences in photography between sunrise and sunset is that the sun does not rise and set at the same spot. Yes, it is really obvious, but so important when deciding when to take a photo.

In fact, I would say this is the most important factor of landscape sunrise sunset photography planning. 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 have o take the photo. Well, unless you are in a pole, north or south. Then enjoy your weird sunrise/sunset experience.

Moreover, the position of the sun is not the same throughout the year, so some photos might only be possible o take once or twice a year. Fortunately, there is a way to know the exact position of the sun in a specific place and time.

How to know the sun position at sunrise or sunset

Many apps and web pages can tell you this. My favourite one is Photopills, a very complete app that will show you the exact sun position, and the predicted sunrise or sunset position, not only on the map but also on augmented reality using your smartphone camera. Yes, you have to pay to get it, but it is so worth it!

Here you have an example from a sunset session I did at the Basque Country. Select the position, see the augmented reality version, and take the photo! Easy-peasy.

Sunrise and sunset hours: fewer people at sunrise!

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 people stop partying. And it has its pros and its cons.

On the other hand, sunsets can happen very late, mostly during the summer season. If you like waiting for the blue hour (after sunset), you could be taking photos almost until midnight, and waking up for the sunrise blue hour would mean sleeping not many hours.

However, sunrises tend to be less massified. People don’t like getting up early. Instead, they prefer to enjoy a beautiful afternoon walking somewhere and then take some photos. This is why I prefer going on sunrise missions. Almost no people, and bluish lights.

During my trips, I have experienced amazing sunrises and sunsets, but when I am exploring a city I love waking up at crazy hours for sunrise. If you are visiting any European city between May and October and want clean shots of the streets, waking up early is a must (avoid weekends). Here you have a comparison between sunrise and sunset in Gdansk, Poland.

In-location scouting

If the previous item was a point in favour of sunrise, this one goes to sunset. Unless you already know the location, sunrise photography is very limited in terms of location scouting. Besides the difficulty of getting to the spot you want to be in complete darkness, it is also quite difficult to find the perfect spot on the first attempt.

Instead, sunset offers the chance to visit the location in good light conditions, find your composition, and wait for the perfect moment to take the photo.

While it is true that there are ways to scout before being in-location, especially when it is the first time visiting a spot, you can miss some photos by choosing sunrise instead of sunset.

Sunrise vs sunset weather conditions

The final main difference between sunrise and sunset is the weather conditions. While there is not a fixed rule, I would say that sunrise offers better weather conditions when it comes to photography compared to sunset. Two of the most noticeable differences are fog and reflections.

Fog

Fog is one of the trickiest weather conditions. While it can be predicted, it depends on thousands of variables, and conditions can change really fast. While sunrise and sunset are both good moments to find fog, especially in places where fog is common, it is a bit more likely to find fog at sunrise compared to sunset.

Humidity is one of the main variables to monitor when it comes to predicting fog, and nighttime tends to be more humid than daytime. nonetheless, fog is quite unpredictable. Moreover, there are different types of fog.

One great example is the Fanal forest in Madeira. Although it is quite common to find fog at sunrise and/or sunset, the perfect conditions for photography are really difficult to get. Either there is fog combined with rain (bad for photography), or the fog s too dense.

Nonetheless, both sunrise and sunset are good times to find fog (if the weather conditions are favourable).

Reflections

Imagine being by a beautiful lake, surrounded by mountains, reflecting on the water. And then the wind starts blowing and it is impossible to take a good image. Although this will happen to you many times, when comparing sunrise and sunset, it is more likely to have better conditions for reflection photography at sunrise rather than at sunset. Long exposures can do the trick, and it is not a 100% reliable guideline, but sunrises tend to be less windy than sunsets.

Take as an example the following images from Lake Kawaguchiko in Japan. Both were taken from the same spot, however one was taken at sunrise and the other one at sunset. Although the lake is not totally quiet, it was possible to get the reflection just at sunrise, meanwhile some hours after, it was completely impossible to get it, not even using a long exposure as I did.

Sunrise vs sunset in photography: what is better?

Sunrise and sunset have both their pros and cons. Some of them can be avoided by scouting online or taking a mid-day nap. Others are impossible to avoid, such as the sun position.

Take all the information you know about the location, conditions and the type of photography you want to take and decide. And remember, failing is the only way to get better at photography.

Remember the story about the first sunset photo I took? It was then that I learnt that light matters when taking a photo. The light was perfect, the tones were ideal, … but I also learnt something else. Taking your photos during golden hour or blue hour is not enough. Composition, planning and technical skills are way more important than the sky, clouds or any other weather-related variable.

That being said, I am team sunrise. What about you? If you want to see some crazy sunrises, sunset, and more photography and travel-related content, make sure to follow me on Instagram (@aniolvisuals). For any other inquiries, you can get in touch with me via my contact page or by sending an email at hello@aniolvisuals.com.