The Best Time To Shoot Landscapes

The best time to shoot landscapes is not necessarily the most convenient time. Of course you can shoot a landscape any time you want to but the question is: “Is there really a difference between what you shoot in the middle of the day and what you shoot at some other time of day?” Many people are satisfied with the daytime shot, but I think it is because they don’t realize what they would get at what I consider a more picturesque time of day. I am convinced of the advantages of early morning shooting. Otherwise I would not do what I did yesterday morning:

Up Early

It was 5:20 am and my eyes popped open just before the alarm sounded. I jumped out of bed, put on my long johns and layers of warm clothes. The coffee was on a timer and I could hear it chugging away in the kitchen. I grabbed my camera gear, all piled next to the front door and threw it into the car, checking to make sure I had extra charged batteries (“charged” is critical, I ended up with three spent batteries the day before) and extra memory cards. I got the car started and let it warm up while I finished getting ready. Filled the thermos, grabbed a cup, and my buddy and I jumped in the car and we were off by 6 am. It was just then about a half hour before the beginning of nautical twilight: still too dark to see if there were clouds. We arrived at the shooting site at 6:45, forty-five minutes before sunrise and it was time to shoot, the light just beginning to illuminate the sky. We jumped out of the car, set up in the dark and started shooting.

First Light

The first thing I saw was this tree. Now I had been to this exact location in the middle of the day the day before and did not even notice the tree. This morning it stands out as a welcoming sentinel to the coming light.  This image was taken with an f/8 aperture, ISO 100, for 15 seconds. A camera taking a 15 second shot will pick up considerably more light than the naked eye. So that first image taken always provides a surprise. While I could see there were some clouds in the sky, the first real indication of what was in store for this morning’s shoot was revealed with that first frame. On this morning I was thoroughly excited by what was showing up.

As the light came on and our eyes adjusted we could see well enough to venture down the hill to the next planned location. The terrain was steep and rough with nothing more than wildlife trails to follow yet we moved quickly down the hill as the last thing we wanted was to waste this precious light. At this time of day, every moment is showing up differently from the moment before.

As the sun began to emerge over the horizon it was time to hurry back up the hill, jump in the car and head to the final location about a quarter of a mile away. This was also scouted the day before and we were hoping it would catch the first golden rays of the morning sun.

Morning Light Versus Mid-day light
Now to the point of this blog. Is one time of day better than another?  Lets do a little comparison. Looking at the silhouette image of the tree, that shot was not even taken on the previous scouting day as the tree had no particular appeal. But put some colorful light into the scene and the tree as a silhouette and you have a picture worth sharing.

Here you can compare the next two images above, to the very same scenes taken on the previous day. The only difference between the two pairs is the light, early morning versus midday. When photographers say it is all about the light these are examples of what they are most likely referring to, the differences in the qualities of the light you see here.

I believe every individual has his or her own preferences regarding what they consider beautiful. It isn’t a right or wrong kind of thing, but for me, I would not get up at 5:20 am to take these last two pictures. I would and did for the previous four and I likely will again when the next set of clouds roll in.

Other Reasons 

Aside from the differences you see here, there are some other reasons I prefer the beginning and ending hours of the day. An image like the last one above will change with the seasons but day to day it will produce pretty much the same result. In contrast, when you go out in the early morning or late evening every moment and every day will be different as you get different cloud formations, more or less fog, different temperatures of light, and varying amounts of particulates in the air, all of which affect the end result.

So for me the answer is an easy yes, there is a best time to shoot landscapes and it is early morning 45 minutes before sunrise until a half hour to an hour after sunrise, and then late evening an hour before sunset until you can’t see anything any more because of darkness and you stumble back to the car exhausted and smiling.


If you enjoyed these images you might also enjoy seeing more of Bob's fine art landscape photography visiting Bob's website by clicking here.