There is a general saying in photography, sunrise and sunset are usually the best time to take photographs as compared to say mid day. This is especially a motto followed by landscape photographers. There is a reason for this. During sunrise and sunset the light is very directional ie it comes in at an angle from the side, as compared to mid day when it comes in from the top. The directional quality of light usually creates more depth in the photograph.
Another reason for photographing during these times of day is that the colour of the light is more orangish. Sometimes you get magenta sky's as well, especially if it has rained and there are clouds all around. You can use a filter to recreate this colour cast or edit the photos in software to recreate the effect. So if you love doing landscape photography then you may as well get used to getting up early and staying up late. You might want to get up early more if you are shooting city scapes as the streets are mostly empty during mornings.
Here are a few photos I took at don of the world heritage sight Qutub Minar. I used a CPL and FL-W filter. The images are mostly straight out of the camera with minor edits.
Qutub Minar at Sunrise |
Settings 1/50 ƒ/8 ISO 200 18 mm (18-55mm)
Settings 1/160 ƒ/4.5 ISO 500 29 mm (18-55mm)
Qutub Minar at Sunrise |
Settings 0.5 ƒ/10 ISO 200 75 mm (55-200 mm)
Happy shooting