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Author Topic: Predicting light at dawn and dusk  (Read 1526 times)

TerryCacek

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Predicting light at dawn and dusk
« on: June 07, 2010, 05:37:06 pm »

I've lost a lot of sleep being on location at dawn and dusk, trying to catch the warm light, but my results have been hit and miss.  What cloud conditions produce the warm light? Partly cloudy? Thin clouds? Clear sky? To phrase the question another way, can I use weather forecasts to decide when to be on location?
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Steven Draper

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Predicting light at dawn and dusk
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2010, 08:30:09 pm »

Quote from: TerryCacek
I've lost a lot of sleep being on location at dawn and dusk, trying to catch the warm light, but my results have been hit and miss.  What cloud conditions produce the warm light? Partly cloudy? Thin clouds? Clear sky? To phrase the question another way, can I use weather forecasts to decide when to be on location?

A layer of strato Cumulus around dawn or dusk can be very rewarding as it can produce a letter box of light with an exciting sky and good shadows with rim lighting on the ground.

I've often found the light interesting just after a weather system passes, and if this is at dawn or dusk (normally dusk as the systems generally move from the W - E) then the lighting can be very exciting.

My favorite is to have some kind of rain or snow shower between the camera position and the setting sun - morning mist works too.

Even with good weather forecasts it is still very difficult to predict and local knowledge is often key - thats why special light images are special.



« Last Edit: June 07, 2010, 08:36:59 pm by Steven Draper »
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wirehunt

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Predicting light at dawn and dusk
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2010, 07:41:20 am »

Some of the met services around have good maps of current cloud cover.  These can be a good gauge once you learn how to use them on just what the cloud cover might be doing in the area you want.  Even that takes some research and learning to start getting right.
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