Sunset at Cromer
Posted: Wed 05 Apr 2017, 18:23
In his proposed itinerary for the forthcoming Norfolk trip, Tom suggested the possibility of a sunset shot at Cromer. I decided to investigate whether such a shot was feasible, using tools which are available on the Internet. My main objective is to demonstrate how some planning can help in getting a shot.
Norfolk is unusual in that both sunrise and sunset can be observed within a realtively small area, as it has both east and west facing coastlines. The coast mainly faces east, but around Hunstanton it faces west across the Wash. Cromer is at the top of the county, and looks more or less north, which means that a sunset is a possibility.
The first applicatiuon I looked at is The Photographer's Ephemeris, which gives times and directions of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, phases etc. There are free web based and desktop versions, as well as paid for iOS and Android apps for £8.99.
http://photoephemeris.com/
The screenshot below shows that the sun will set at 19:44, but will not be over the sea. I suspect that we will be at Cromer a few days before sunset shots become a viable option.
To get the sun behind the pier, it might be necessary to venture onto the beach. What will the state of the tide be at that time? Tide tables are published free by the Admiralty for the current day and up to six days in advance. All other future and historical dates can be obtained on payment of a fee. The screen shot shows that high tide will be at 18:33, just over an hour before sunset. It is quite a high tide, so I do not expect much of the beach to be uncovered at the time the sun is going down.
http://www.ukho.gov.uk/easytide/EasyTide/index.aspx
Finally, the weather conditions have to be right for there to be some colour in the sky at sunset. The long range weather forecast is always a hoot. Whatever it says a few days beforehand invariably is not will actually occur. For a while, it claimed the day would be overcast, but at present has gone to the opposite extreme and it is saying it will be clear. Some cloud will be necessary from which the rays from the setting sun will be reflected so that there will be a colourful sky. That is something which will only become apparent on the day.
Overall, it is worthwhile keeping an eye on conditions during the day, but there are a number of factors working against getting a successful shot.
Norfolk is unusual in that both sunrise and sunset can be observed within a realtively small area, as it has both east and west facing coastlines. The coast mainly faces east, but around Hunstanton it faces west across the Wash. Cromer is at the top of the county, and looks more or less north, which means that a sunset is a possibility.
The first applicatiuon I looked at is The Photographer's Ephemeris, which gives times and directions of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, phases etc. There are free web based and desktop versions, as well as paid for iOS and Android apps for £8.99.
http://photoephemeris.com/
The screenshot below shows that the sun will set at 19:44, but will not be over the sea. I suspect that we will be at Cromer a few days before sunset shots become a viable option.
To get the sun behind the pier, it might be necessary to venture onto the beach. What will the state of the tide be at that time? Tide tables are published free by the Admiralty for the current day and up to six days in advance. All other future and historical dates can be obtained on payment of a fee. The screen shot shows that high tide will be at 18:33, just over an hour before sunset. It is quite a high tide, so I do not expect much of the beach to be uncovered at the time the sun is going down.
http://www.ukho.gov.uk/easytide/EasyTide/index.aspx
Finally, the weather conditions have to be right for there to be some colour in the sky at sunset. The long range weather forecast is always a hoot. Whatever it says a few days beforehand invariably is not will actually occur. For a while, it claimed the day would be overcast, but at present has gone to the opposite extreme and it is saying it will be clear. Some cloud will be necessary from which the rays from the setting sun will be reflected so that there will be a colourful sky. That is something which will only become apparent on the day.
Overall, it is worthwhile keeping an eye on conditions during the day, but there are a number of factors working against getting a successful shot.