Sunrise photo' project question / help please...

Very interesting situation you have here, Z. My thoughts are that your photo opportunities are limited only by your creativity!!

My 2 cents would be something along these lines:
Instead of focussing on the sunrise moving every day, what about taking a picture at the same *time* every week or so? That way, the sun will be at different elevations in the sky, and will have moved across. You can then stitch all these photos together to get what looks like a bunch of suns, at different elevations moving across the sky, with the foreground changing as the seasons come and go. Does that make sense?

Alex

I saw this atricle linked below and was reminded of this thread. The photo shows the result of using a pinhole camera to photo the sunrise everyday for a year.

http://gizmodo.com/using-a-pinhole-camera-she-fashioned-from-an-assam-tea-1489087321

Alex

Zh2 said:

Hello Alex,

Many thanks for the input. The pinhole image is truly amazing!

So far then...

I have downloaded and installed Magic Lantern onto a Canon 600D.

I am thinking of making an orbital gear / drive gear with 365 teeth on it and mounting the camera on that on top of a 9inch x 9inch post at the front of the house. If you can imagine a flat, circular gear with raised teeth - The camera would sit atop this and then can be rotated, clock wise, one tooth per day for the duration of the " shoot ". The fixed and securely mounted gear will have an index tooth ( probably painted red ) pointing directly South.

If I take 2 photographs per day - One on each corresponding tooth for that day and one on the red tooth - Then I may have something to work with.

I am also thinking about digitally " slicing " the completed shots into 52 sections and stitching them back together.

To describe me as a novice in this field is something of an over statement!!!

Regards.

Z.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea. The only thing I'd say about your technique is that the sunrise doesn't do a complete 'lap' around the horizon over the year; it rises within a set number of degrees either side of due East, wobbling between the two extremes between Winter and Summer and then back to Winter etc. If you're planning on moving your camera round one 'notch' every day then you'll eventually have the sun rising out of your frame.

That's not to say your invention won't be useful though. Have you tried the Photographer's Ephemeris App? It shows you the direction of the sunrise every day of the year for any location. I have it, it's pretty cool. There's a cheaper version on the App Store called LightTrac which does essentially the same thing but for a quid or 2 less. I don't have it though, so I can't say what it's like. Couple that with the gear you mentioned and you'll be on to a winner.

All the best in your endeavours! And be sure to show us the final result! Don't worry, we'll wait

Alex

Possibly the most valuable app for a photographer is one called TPE "The Photographer's Ephemeris"

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-photographers-ephemeris/id366195670?mt=8

It is probably the best possible app to help you set up for that magic moment... and be in just the right spot to catch the sun (or moon) rising over the exact point that you want to capture. A bargain at $9.

/Jim