Best time for August sunset and sunrise photos in Alaska?

[SempreMare]

In a topic about anytime dining vs fixed time dining in the HAL forum,  @Crew News made this interesting comment: 

 

>> Cruising to Alaska is very port intensive for me.  I arise two hours before docking to have breakfast and take photographs of the port during sail-in.  Add long days on excursions and I become "early to bed and early to rise". 

   and

>> As a photographer, I cannot capture those amazing Alaska sunsets while dining.  Dining at 5:30 allows me to take advantage of all available entertainment, capture sunset photos, process my daily photographs, and be asleep around 11:00 PM with a calm tummy.

 

I will be in Alaska (on HAL) in August.   

 

Given these sunrise and sunset times for August, what time would be best for sunrise / sunset photos?  

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anchorage?month=8

 

Maybe I should ask a less specific question:   Given these different types of sunlight in August: 

Daylight:                               6:20 am - 9:37 pm

Civil Twilight:                       5:29 am - 6:20 am,  9:37 pm - 10:29 pm

Nautical Twilight:               4:16 am - 5:29 am,  10:29 pm - 11:43 pm

Astronomical Twilight:    12:00 am - 4:16 am,  11:43 pm - 12:00 am
 

what are the considerations this brings to when you take sunrise and sunset photos? 

 @Crew News and others, when is your favorite time of day & why for sunrise, sunset photos? 

 

I do realize it rains a lot in Alaska which means none of this might matter :-).

 

Definitions from Time and Date:     

Twilight is the time between day and night when the Sun is below the horizon but its rays still light up the sky.

Civil twilight is the brightest of the 3 twilight phases. The Sun is just below the horizon, so there is generally enough natural light to carry out most outdoor activities.

Nautical twilight is the second twilight phase. Both the horizon and the brighter stars are usually visible at this time, making it possible to navigate at sea.

Astronomical twilight is the darkest of the 3 twilight phases. It is the earliest stage of dawn in the morning and the last stage of dusk in the evening.

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by SempreMare

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, SempreMare said:

In a topic about anytime dining vs fixed time dining in the HAL forum,  @Crew News made this interesting comment: 

 

>> Cruising to Alaska is very port intensive for me.  I arise two hours before docking to have breakfast and take photographs of the port during sail-in.  Add long days on excursions and I become "early to bed and early to rise". 

   and

>> As a photographer, I cannot capture those amazing Alaska sunsets while dining.  Dining at 5:30 allows me to take advantage of all available entertainment, capture sunset photos, process my daily photographs, and be asleep around 11:00 PM with a calm tummy.

 

I will be in Alaska (on HAL) in August.   

 

Given these sunrise and sunset times for August, what time would be best for sunrise / sunset photos?  

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anchorage?month=8

 

Maybe I should ask a less specific question:   Given these different types of sunlight in August: 

Daylight:                               6:20 am - 9:37 pm

Civil Twilight:                       5:29 am - 6:20 am,  9:37 pm - 10:29 pm

Nautical Twilight:               4:16 am - 5:29 am,  10:29 pm - 11:43 pm

Astronomical Twilight:    12:00 am - 4:16 am,  11:43 pm - 12:00 am
 

what are the considerations this brings to when you take sunrise and sunset photos? 

 @Crew News and others, when is your favorite time of day & why for sunrise, sunset photos? 

 

I do realize it rains a lot in Alaska which means none of this might matter :-).

 

Definitions from Time and Date:     

Twilight is the time between day and night when the Sun is below the horizon but its rays still light up the sky.

Civil twilight is the brightest of the 3 twilight phases. The Sun is just below the horizon, so there is generally enough natural light to carry out most outdoor activities.

Nautical twilight is the second twilight phase. Both the horizon and the brighter stars are usually visible at this time, making it possible to navigate at sea.

Astronomical twilight is the darkest of the 3 twilight phases. It is the earliest stage of dawn in the morning and the last stage of dusk in the evening.

 

 

Speaking for myself, I enjoy photographing sunsets with clouds or silhouettes where the sun colors the clouds.  This occurs 30 minutes before the sun drops over the horizen, up to 30 minutes after the sun crops below the horizen. and when the clouds are clearing after rain.

 

 

 

 

Since sunset photographs are in lower light, a camera with internal/external stabilization is important.  Take lots of photographs and keep the good ones.  Enjoy shooting sunsets.

[SightCRR]

Here is a chart for Juneau in Aug. You can get sunset times on dates & cities you will be there. Not sure where you got sunrise at 6:20 as that seems really light.  https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/juneau?month=8

[Budget Queen]

Meals are way down my priority list and I never would have fixed dining.   I've skipped plenty of meals in Alaska.    Simply-  take a look,  and see.  :)   No way to predict anything and every day will be different.    It's purely about being available and the more generous you are with time,  the more opportunities.     

[SempreMare]

@Budget Queen, my apologies; my intention for this topic to be about Alaska's photo opps replated to sunrise sunset.  Not about which fixed vs anytime dining.   I only linked to the original thread to show context.

[masterdrago]

A great app for figuring that out is Observatory by Emerald & Sequoria for the I pad and I think for the I phone. If I were trying to see what time in general for the best photo ops where you have given times for Anchorage mid August, I would say in the middle of the golden hour - 8:35am and 7:21pm. If in Juneau, about an hour earlier. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_(photography)

Edited April 22, 2019 by masterdrago