Early Wednesday morning I climbed up well above Nymph Lake, setup my camera and pointed it towards Glacier Gorge and Long's Peak. There were some low-lying clouds over Thatchtop and Longs that I thought would light up nicely as sun came up. From where I was, I could look to my left and see where the sun would come up over the horizon.
I waited and finally the sun popped up over the horizon. It was not cloudy at all to the east, and there was little haze. As the sun rose instead of the usual red light of dawn, there was nothing but a very faint colorless light. Maybe it was slightly yellow, but definitely not red or orange. The clouds never changed color. As I could see sun from my vantage point, I'm sure nothing was blocking it.
Does anyone know why this happens or how to predict it?
Had that happen to me up at the Tetons on Sunday, too, except there was some pretty decent cloud color off to the East. When the Sun popped over the horizon to light up Mt. Moran, though, it might as well have been full daylight for all the color it generated. Sigh.
I noticed this phenomenon several years ago after the Mount Pinatubo eruption. I'd be out shooting, and as I waited for the sun to breach the horizon and paint the scene before me, I'd be startled to turn around and see the sun already coming up, but little or no color effect. This lasted for the better part of two years until the atmosphere healed itself of all the excess sulfer dioxide the volcano spewed forth. (I also noticed that skies were less intensely blue, and that there was an odd, yellowish cast to the fringes of clouds.)
I mentioned this to my older, wiser, smarter brother right after I noticed it, and he said perhaps photographers were in a better position to notice something like that, and thus we were a kind of visual canary in a coal mine. Sure enough, two months later Galen Rowell wrote about it in his OP column.
Having said all that, while I know there's been some volcanic activity lately in the southern hemisphere, I don't think there's anything that would affect current conditions around here. Add to that the amazing light Erik Stensland has gotten in the park at sunrise recently, and it's probably just an unfortunate one-off incident. But I'd still get the film developed. Otherwise you'll always wonder. It's just eight bucks.
So, you got ripped off? My experience is, the higher you are, the harder it is to see the cloud layer closest to the horizon where sunrise is. Cloud density may seem just right with thick-as-gravy clouds right where you don't want 'em. Of course, the flip side is we're frequently surprised with epic sunrises and sunsets that look like they won't do anything. Spend the $8 - sometimes film records more color than we see/remember.
The Tetons are just fine, thank you. I was only passing through, so I can't vouch for the detail of this report... Aspen and Willow are newly-leafed, wonderful neon greens, especially if you can get them after a rain. The mountains don't appear to have had much snow recently, but there's still an awful lot hanging out in the glacial valleys. Mule's Ears are blooming amidst the Sagebrush.
Went down to Schwabacher Landing and was terribly disappointed in the amount of water flowing near the landing. It was sunset, though, and I didn't take much time exploring - maybe I just didn't see the right spot. It's not like the Snake is running low, though; river levels in both GT and Yellowstone were very high. Lots of places in Yellowstone where the words "flood plain" really mean something right now. High temperatures are accellerating meltoff.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on May 26, 2006 at 10:53 AM
Tony this may really be a stretch but is it possible that your sunrise color was foiled because of the prairies being burned in Kansas? It may be a little late in the year for that but it is an annual occurance for ranchers to burn the prairie to stimulate new growth for the cattle.
When it's going on the amount of smoke introduced into the atmosphere can be significant. Just a thought from a native Kansan ....
Wayne,
Perhaps that's it. Who knows? Hopefully I'll have better luck this week. I will get the film developed, I just have to get back from Wyoming first
I think that there are atsmospheric conditions not easily viewed with the naked eye that influence the behavior of the light. Moderate differences in the densities of smog or other pollutants can have a big impact, but not be easily detected by looking to the horizon. If it's just a little more dense than normal, a lot of light can be scattered before reaching the mountains.
Discussion
12 repliesI waited and finally the sun popped up over the horizon. It was not cloudy at all to the east, and there was little haze. As the sun rose instead of the usual red light of dawn, there was nothing but a very faint colorless light. Maybe it was slightly yellow, but definitely not red or orange. The clouds never changed color. As I could see sun from my vantage point, I'm sure nothing was blocking it.
Does anyone know why this happens or how to predict it?
How are things up in Tetons? I'm driving up there Saturday.
I mentioned this to my older, wiser, smarter brother right after I noticed it, and he said perhaps photographers were in a better position to notice something like that, and thus we were a kind of visual canary in a coal mine. Sure enough, two months later Galen Rowell wrote about it in his OP column.
Having said all that, while I know there's been some volcanic activity lately in the southern hemisphere, I don't think there's anything that would affect current conditions around here. Add to that the amazing light Erik Stensland has gotten in the park at sunrise recently, and it's probably just an unfortunate one-off incident. But I'd still get the film developed. Otherwise you'll always wonder. It's just eight bucks.
Dave Showalter
Went down to Schwabacher Landing and was terribly disappointed in the amount of water flowing near the landing. It was sunset, though, and I didn't take much time exploring - maybe I just didn't see the right spot. It's not like the Snake is running low, though; river levels in both GT and Yellowstone were very high. Lots of places in Yellowstone where the words "flood plain" really mean something right now. High temperatures are accellerating meltoff.
When it's going on the amount of smoke introduced into the atmosphere can be significant. Just a thought from a native Kansan ....
Perhaps that's it. Who knows? Hopefully I'll have better luck this week. I will get the film developed, I just have to get back from Wyoming first
isn't it all to do with the cloud cover, no clouds no sunrise/sunset??? The sun has to reflect off of something, blue sky doesn't do it.
Bill Meikle
Fort Collins, Colorado