Photographer’s Ephemeral
ANDREW JAMES
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Careful planning enabled Andrew to make the most of the light at this Northumberland location.
You can’t predict the right light for either end of the day with absolute accuracy, but by watching and analysing the weather forecast, you can certainly give yourself a head start. I’ve been out photographing when all the forecasts predicted the worst weather possible and no chance of any decent light, when suddenly there’s a break in the cloud and amazing conditions light up the scenery.
One great tool I do use is The Photographer’s Ephemeris. This clever bit of software gives you very accurate information about the direction of the sun (and moon) and the times it rises or sets. There is a free version available online that you can use on your desktop or laptop computer, but you can also buy a smartphone app that gives you instant access to the information you need wherever you are.
It’s really easy to use: just key in your location and the software will place a pin on a map; this can be manually moved to a precise location. You will then see the direction of the sunrise and sunset, and be able to predict where the light
