Sunlight and Weather:  The Magic Ingredients in Making a Great Photograph. 

     Most of the time, the difference between a good photograph and a great photograph is a function of the time of day and/or the weather.  The intensity, quality, and angle of the light make all the difference.  The oblique light of sunrise and sunset, for example, create magic in a photograph.  Clouds of any sort add depth and dimension to a picture as well as mood.  It is one thing to know where that next great picture of yours will be taken.  It is quite another to know what it will look like when you get there.  Planning is everything.

Where is the sun going to be?

    Below is a map showing the sunlight trajectory on the earth.   The map shows us where the photographer will be able to take great pictures.  Most landscape photographers eschew full daylight for early morning or late afternoon sunlight.  Some clouds also help create interesting pictures.  This map has it all.  It shows you where the edges of the suns light path are and whether clouds are in the area.  If you are lucky, they will be occurring together where you are. Below is a dynamic graphic showing the weather and path of the sun on the earth's surface. 

Click your left mouse button on the picture to see a larger picture.

    Perhaps the most interesting and useful way of seeing how the sun will be occurring on your landscape is to use the latest version of Google Earth.  If you have not yet downloaded this very valuable program, do so now.  You will use it in conjunction with a GPS system.  Using the GPS, find the exact coordinates of the landscape you wish to photograph.  Then, go into Google Earth and find that exact location.  At the top of the screen is a button that looks like a sun on top of a mountain.  Click this button.  A slider will pop up.  As you move the slider, shadows occur on the map showing you when and where the sun will be at different times of the day (as determined by the slider).  This is particularly valuable for pictures in high canyons or near mountains.  This ability to see when and where the sun will hit your target, is invaluable.

When and where is the moon going to be there?

    Moon light is not as bright as the sun, of course, though it has it own impact on photography.  Some photographers like to take pictures  lit entirely by the reflection of the sun's light off the face of the moon.  I am one of them.  This reflected light has qualities all it own.  It takes special skills to take pictures using this light, and then processing them in a way that makes sense to other people.  Moon light (or moon shadow) pictures are more possible the more of the suns light striking the surface of the moon.  Thus, the best moonlight photography occurs during a full moon.  Below is a dynamic graphic depicting the phases of the moon.    Longer shutter durations are essential.  The photographer uses the lowest ISO possible to keep noise down.  The problem is that noise is integral to long exposures.  Some cameras have built-in software the attempts to reduce the noise inherent in long exposures.  Using a tripose and an off camera shutter release are also requisite.  Mirror lockup on SLR cameras is probably not necessary for exposures longer than ten seconds as the amount of light entering the lense during the mirror's movement is negligible. 

What is the weather going to be like?    

A quick look at the doppler radar for the area where your great photography will be taken is helpful.  Click here to go to the accuweather web site.  You will leave this site when you do so.  When you get there, type in the zip code for the area where your picture will be taken.