That's the first photograph in a set of 31 photographs, in chronological order, beginning on September 18, 2019. I've put them together because I want to make some judgments about what is most beautiful in a sunrise and in an effort to capture it in an iPhone photograph. As I quickly made these selections, I didn't check to see whether photographs were done on the same day, and it turned out that there were 6 days with 2 photographs, which means there were only 25 days out of over 100 days when I got something that reached the standard I was using, whatever that was.
December was clearly the best month, with 12 photographs, taken on 8 days. January was the worst, with only 1 photograph. September also only has 1, but I didn't start my sunrise run until September 9, and then a couple weeks were skipped because we were traveling. October and November were middling, with 5 photographs apiece. One of the November days was a 2-photograph day, the only 2-photograph day that was not in December. (That is, there were 2 photographs that met my "Best Sunrise" standard.) February is the second-best month, with 6 photos, and 4 more days to go. (It's Leap Year.)
Anyway, I invite you to click through to the album and to weigh in on what is your favorite — I have one that I consider the best — and on the subject of what sunrise makes the best photograph and various aspects of framing things. I'm very aware that there are some great sunrises that were beyond what the iPhone could handle and that there are often things in the frame other than the sunrise, notably branches, so there's a complication in talking about the best photograph of a sunrise and the best sunrise. I'm not so much interested in compliments on my photography as I am in figuring out what's the most beautiful sunrise and how to know which sunrises are going to make good photographs, how to time sunrise chasing, and what to include in the frame around the sunrise.
Obviously, I'm committed to photographing the sunrise over Lake Mendota here in Madison, so I've got the strategy of going to the same place and learning from a repeated similar experience. The alternative is to search for sunrises in different places, and that would be a different how-to question. I'm looking for details and differences within similarity.
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62 comments:
December was clearly the best month, with 12 photographs, taken on 8 days.
That makes sense. In December in the Northern Hemisphere the direct light from sun is hitting the Earth at its steepest angle. During this time the sunlight has to pass through much more atmosphere at Sunrise and Sunset to get to the viewer, which means more scattering and more dramatic colors.
capturing the glory of Light's triumph over Darkness
the hope of renewal, and the promise of a new day made manifest
...and keeping the horizon line level
2/7 or 2/10 gets my vote Althouse.
From that album the two best it terms of dramatic colors and contrast are December 7, 2019 and January 20, 2020.
The two best in terms of composition are probably February 10, 2020 (snow drifts over the lake) and November 26, 2019 (silhouette of skeletal tree branches).
Even the best has too much haze on the horizon for a really punchy sunrise shot. Low humidity at dawn is mostly a feature of desert environments, one assumes. That's one more reason to live in Arizona.
As far as featuring the sunrise, I have three favorites - Nov. 26, Dec. 17 and Jan. 20. I am also partial to some of the more misty shots.
one filter for judging could be that the image evokes a sense of a new beginning, a soft exultation, a beauty that enthralls or uplifts such as a glorious horizon with a high or long perspective. the other filter could be for images that evoke the poignancy of loss, that the is is was, the moment, or opportunity, gone. or perhaps a deeper gratitude for what we have here and now. this would be a framing of a closer, more intimate perspective.
One December I was out of the house by 6 a.m. to hitch to work. I liked viewing those cold, pink December sunrises.
9/18
You’re not celebrating the birthday of Auguste Renoir?
It's hard to choose ONE favorite. I think I choose December 22 because of that perfect little slice of moon. Going to stop myself before I give me second, third and fourth opinions.
Feb 10 is my favorite...
Nonapod: In December in the Northern Hemisphere the direct light from sun is hitting the Earth at its steepest angle.
Um...I don't think the time of year has any effect on the angle of sunlight at sunrise (or sunset). It's always 0.
Sun day...
Moon day...
Mars day...
Mercury day...
Jupiter day...
Venus day...
Saturn day...
poor Uranus...Uranus is green, unlike a real planet, and it rotates anti-clockwise, much like a Saracen and Australian toilets.
Many excellent choices, but I especially like 12/17, Sunrise 2.
Your photograph had clearly delineated bands of clouds, sky, silhouetted city, and calm lake. It also had a variety of textures and a strong light/dark contrast. As a bonus, the Capitol building and the little flock of ducks in the foreground made a pleasing triangle in the center.
I'm a "rosy fingered dawn" kind of guy. So, in order, 11/26, 12/07, 1/20, 11/5, and 12/20. The tangled blackness of the tree limbs adds a little deliciousness to my pleasure --- the ropier the limbs the better.
February 10th is my favorite, the colors, the gradients, the building tells me there’s urban life there, but with everything else I feel far away from it all. It’s a beautiful place. My second favorite is December 17th. I love the colors and the quietness to it, the little things going on like the ducks, the smoke stack, just enough tree but not overwhelmed by the trees. Third favorite is September 18th. Those clouds are fantastic, the trees are backlit yet I can still see detail and color. Great job Ann!
October 10th. Best Clouds. Feb 10 is good too, but it would be just as good without the Sun.
Um...I don't think the time of year has any effect on the angle of sunlight at sunrise (or sunset). It's always 0.
You're right of course. I was confusing and conflating more direct light from the sun with any light from the sun. While it's true that the light we recieve during the winter months is less direct than the summer months since it's hitting the surface at more of an angle, we're still getting sunlight which ultimately determines sunrise, day, and sunset regardless of the angle.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am K.Farmer, the latest iteration of the dot-Farmer software. I will be applying the Farmer algorithms to the consideration of Bill Kristol as president. You will discover there is nothing to be concerned about! Talk of him as a “war monger” is meaningless scare tactics!
Stay tuned.
Uranus is green, unlike a real planet, and it rotates anti-clockwise, much like a Saracen and Australian toilets
It's on its side, rolling along its orbit. Except its axis stays pointed in one direction as it orbits so sometimes the north or south pole is pointed almost at the sun. Messing with sunrises and sunsets. Which wouldn't be a thing for anyone because of the lack-of-solid-surface problem.
Some of you worry that a President Bill Kristol would get us into wars. This is an understandable but baseless fear. Presidents cannot declare war. Kristol would be so isolated there would be no worries.
Some of you have also been dismayed by Kristol's praise of military intervention. But we have always had people who praise military intervention, and yet we have still never invaded Canada. Well, not in a long time. It’s silly to condemn a candidate just because he praises military intervention. Or Castro, Pol Pot, Joseph Mengele, or Harry Reid. These trivialities mean nothing.
Bill Kristol might not be anyone’s first choice for President, but he's not a scary prospect either.it can’t happen here!
Look, my first presidential vote was for Ramsey Clark. But Trump is so, so ... orange that even Bill Kristol would be a better president.
I think Tulsi would make a great veep, but an even better pick is available. JRubinBlogger!
On another thread Begley suggested the Left would start talking about Trump pardoning Weinstein. And right on schedule over at Jerry Coyne's site it started up today. Finally someone po8nted out its a state conviction. That didn’t slow down one commenter who predicted Trump would try, and would argue he should have the right!
And ZERO comments about Harvey's real political connections of course.
Score one for Dave Begley.
Oct 10th
Nov 4th
The first because of the sunlight illuminating the clouds from below.
The second because the sun is just kissing the tops of the clouds.
I like the stark contrasts between the two.
I miss the rats.
Crap, I'm terrible at this, I've got seven (7!) favorites.
10/26
11/5
11/26
12/22
1/20
2/16
2/10
I'll spare you my justification for each, but suffice it to say I'm grading on: subject, composition, lighting, and unique characteristics (the crescent moon on 12/22 and the fog on 2/16).
I can't choose one - and you can't make me!
I have microsoft rotate images of nature as my wallpaper each day. There isn't an image there that I would not want as a part of that rotation.
9/18 and 10/26. Most of the rest look like sunsets to me.
October 10.
11/26-1. A little less tree would have made it better though.
“ I'm a "rosy fingered dawn" kind of guy. So, in order, 11/26, 12/07, 1/20, 11/5, and 12/20.”
That’s the closest anyone came to agreeing with me. My longtime favorite is December 20, #1.
I'm going with Feb 10. Looks almost other-worldly.
Your SUNRISE SERIES is interesting. It's sort of a MONET meditation, in photographs, of the dawn.
My favorite, or the one that speaks to me is DECEMBER 25, 2019.
Why?
It could be sunrise or sunset.
It looks like the opening shot of a Shakespearian film, something Roman Polanski or Orson Welles might have done.
It's mysterious. The tree looks like an ominous character, perhaps a shapeshifting witch, and the stump to its left, a toad.
The blues and reds are strangely seductive.
Something is in the air, to the right, perhaps a bird or something supernatural.
Regardless, the shot will hold until it lands between tree and stump.
Then, it will reveal itself.
No doubt, it is a mischief maker, something only the bard could imagine.
They aren't numbered so it's hard to specify which one is my favorite, I like the one with the big black tree in the foreground (11/26), also the kind of misty one with the Capitol Building that looks gray (12/20).
I had a state park concession in rural Nebraska for a few years, I took a lot of pictures of sunsets over the lake. It seems like dramatic clouds make the best photos, especially if they are reflected in the water. In order to get good cloud reflections the wind has to be pretty calm. Also if you have objects like trees or plants in the foreground it is best when they are in silhouette so they look all black.
In a lot of these pictures you can't actually see the sun, maybe you should wait until it peeks over the horizon?
I used to take sunrise/sunset photo obsessively and realized that the photos never match the "just watching it" experience.
Granted, one can now HDR the piss out of it so
looks great (but it's still not a true representative view).....
I love them all. What's not to love. Every pic has all 4 of the elements: earth, fire, water and air.
Ok, going beyond the basics and rating them for beauty: we have 10/10,11/26,12/20, and1/20...and throw in 2/29 because we have hope for even greater coming next.
I'll try to make this work LOL.
Sunset Pictures
Whew. Got it right.I remembered picking an all time beauty back in December, and it was the first 12/20 pic. Frame it and sell it.
That 12/20 sunrise pic reminded me of the sunsetting at Carmel by the Sea at 7:07 PM
Need to work on reading the entire post and not just what I want to say.
What makes a good sunrise in my estimation is mood, color, showing the shift from night to day, and the irregularity of nature. To that end, I like:
- Pictures with little or no man made objects in them (eliminates your favorite)
- Strong color such as the bright orange, or pinks and blues from the refracted light
- Cirrus cloud formations for interesting texture in the sky
- Some natural flora (or fauna if available) to create an object of focus
- A unique effect such as a fog that transforms the landscape
Most pictures have at least 3 of these elements.
Nov 26
Dec 8 #1
Dec 17 2
Dec 23 #2
Feb 5
Feb 7
Feb 10
Seem to fit my criteria the most, but on any given day I could select a different collection. I also know I am often at odds with people who claim to have a good eye, so anything I select should automatically be rejected if you are looking for a universally accepted good image.
I'll stop at what's not to love about the lot.
November 26, just gorgeous.
Martha is coming on now. That's a nice sunrise.
My second favorite, December 20 #2
Favorite for color: October 10 (Marmalade skies...Lennon approves)
Favorite for composition: November 26 ("As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!")
Honorable mention: December 7 (You can see them bombing Pearl Harbor in the distance)
Beautiful shots! My faves in order are 1)12/20, 2)11/26, 3)12/8 and 4)12/23.
Thank you for sharing these.
To add to my comment from 6:08pm, I didn't analyze why I liked those shots and am not sure such an analysis would be useful anyway. Those shots simply jumped out at me because of the combination of framing, color and shapes. Each had its own type of beauty and perspective. Also, I realized belatedly that there are multiple shots for some days (I only checked the dates on the ones I liked best), so to clarify: 12/20(1), 11/26(1), 12/23(1). Sorry for the oversight.
The ubiquitous "Rosy Fingered Dawn" quote from the WayBack Machine.
I prefer my Tucson sunsets. Go ahead and delete my comment.
December 8 and December 20, and February 10. My personal super-favorite is January 20 because it makes the sun look like the blast furnace that it is.
“I'm a "rosy fingered dawn" kind of guy. So, in order, 11/26, 12/07, 1/20, 11/5, and 12/20.”
That’s the closest anyone came to agreeing with me. My longtime favorite is December 20, #1.
Emos d’erigeneia phane rhododaktulos eos. That's Homer's epithet, the original rosy-fingered Eos (Dawn).
I like the Dec 25 (2) the best. There is not a close second. That's not to say that there were not other good photos, but this one clearly stood out. The clarity and the balance come to mind as I remember it.
Hi Ann!
I may be the biggest fan of your series of sunrise pics. I have left you two previous comments thanking you for making the effort and for sharing these great pictures with us. I love them!
I actually like sunset better, a function of growing up on the eastern shore of a large body of water. The sunsets across the water bring my whole hometown to a standstill for 10 minutes each night year 'round. But I am also an extreme early riser and I love sunrise too.
I download the pictures I like the best and I just counted and I have downloaded 44 of them since you started. The first was on 4 Nov, which also made your own favorites list. I don't know much about how Flickr works but have you checked your download stats to see which ones people have liked the best by voting to download?
Here are my own download stats by month, for your interest: Nov = 3 | Dec = 12 | Jan = 11 | Feb = 18
A lot of my favorites have something in the foreground for visual interest with the sunrise in back. Boulders, trees, limbs. Many of your best have a real Russell Chatham feel to them... (my favorite painter.. that is very high praise from me)
I will also say that you used to post pictures occasionally of the sunrise hitting the steam cloud from the big smokestack behind your house, and I loved a few of those too. But the sunrises across the lake to the Dome are even better!
Of your favorites, my top 3 are Dec 20 #2, Jan 20 and Feb 16th.
Thank you so much for sharing these! It's a daily gift. I noted that today you said once you start liveblogging you feel guilty if you don't continue. I hope you don't come to feel that way about sharing these pics.
May your daily run bring you good physical health and mental joy! Spring is coming!
One reason December was better than January was that the lake wasn't completely frozen. There were reflections. Once the lake froze, it didn't stay glassy and reflective. It got covered with snow, and that greatly diminished the photographic opportunities.
December was better than the unfrozen months before it in part because I'd learned how to find solutions on days that weren't that exciting in terms of colors and cloud shapes. Most important is to get out there early. On many days when it's completely boring at sunrise times, it's very pink 15 or 20 minutes before that time. It's a mistake to believe the color will hold up, and I learned to stop at various little places before the main vantage point.
Thanks, Will
I had to look up Russell Chatham, and I do appreciate his use of very minimal skies. People may tend to assume the best sunrise is the one with the brightest colors and most elaborate clouds, but this painting, for examples, teaches the appreciation of the lesser sky.
December 20th was the best day for photographs, I think. If you click through on the one I've said is my favorite — here — and then click the arrow on the left, you'll see there are 10 photographs from that day that I thought were good enough to upload to Flickr.
" and then click the arrow on the left...."
I mean... and keep clicking, 10 times.
"I don't know much about how Flickr works but have you checked your download stats to see which ones people have liked the best by voting to download?"
I don't think Flickr is giving me that number.
February 10 scares me.
So many to choose from. Great series!
My favorites in your set have foreground branches that frame the sunrise (false or real, ha!) -- 12/22, 12/23, 2/16. I also like the "big sky" wider angle shots that emphasize the textured sky (10/10, 11/1, 2/11). My least favorite are the ones where the subject is centered -- capitol building or the sun (12/17, 12/20). I'm not a stickler to the "rule of thirds" but centered subjects can feel weird to me. I'm not sure why ... maybe because every photography class I've taken talks about the rule of thirds and the Golden Ratio.
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