Landscapers - get up even earlier!!

I have often seen the advice in photo mags and books that for the best light you need to be in place half an hour before sunrise. Well I am coming to the conclusion that this is tosh!

I recon you actually need to be there at least 45minutes and ideally an hour before sunrise. Now I know what your thinking..."blimey that's an even earlier getting up time". Well yes it is, but there is not much difference between getting up at 2:30am and getting up at 2:00am really, both are pretty nasty!

The thing I have noticed is that quite often the spectacular sunrise colours happen up to 45 minutes before sunrise.

Southwold Sunrise (45 minutes before sunrise)
(click to view large)

But every time it's different. Some mornings the sunrise just doesn't happen, so have you wasted an extra half hour in bed?

Why not use the time to practice night shots or painting with light? I often take a torch or flash gun with me for this very eventuality.

Southwold Blues (1 hour before a sunrise that didn't happen)
(Click to view large)

So next time you are planning a landscape trip, why not set that alarm clock half an hour earlier?