The Prom, Puddles and the Golden Hour

Sunrise at the moment is 6.15 ish and sunset is 8.10 ish. The light can certainly be beautiful at this time of the day especially when the sun is just below the horizon. It's one of the traditional times for the landscape photographer to be out and about, even the smartphone photographer! Maybe it's getting a little more difficult to extract oneself from the bed before dawn these days and to wander down to the seafront in Clontarf to see the sunrise, as it means getting up quite early. The winter months are a little easier from that point of view!

Here's a recent sunrise shot where the early birds were out catching the dawn and the prom was drenched with rain from the day before. Sometimes it's good to have time to meander about , looking at the scene from different angles, especially if the impending sunrise may be splashing a bit of colour about. The street lights, puddles and silhouettes add other elements into the composition.

Early Birds, the Prom, Clontarf,Dublin

And here's a sunset view of the seafront this time , the sun already dipping beneath the horizon with the evening slipping into twilight. It's certainly a challenge to keep one's photography fresh while staying within the 5k travel zone each day! From that point of view  it may be helpful to  be on the lookout for photographic opportunities with  the  cameraphone in  hand  [ rather than the backpack with lenses, filters , camera plus tripod etc] . This particular day had been stormy and wet , with the light suddenly breaking through the bruised clouds and fizzing  dramatically around sundown. Again the lingering puddles all along the footpath add another dimension to the mood, as they catch the silhouettes of passers - by in the fading light.

Silhouette in Sunset Puddle, The Prom, Clontarf, Dublin