Week 91 — Skyfire

I’m currently using the trial version of Skyfire (from The Photographer’s Ephemeris), which is designed to predict the likelihood of brilliant sunrises based on cloud patterns, etc. Colorado has so many clear skies, and consequently there aren’t very many opportunities for these vibrant sunrises. I’ve spent many mornings hiking to a location for a sunrise, only to see a somewhat bland (from a photographic perspective — a sunrise is always beautiful to me, but that doesn’t mean that it always makes a good photograph!) scene as the sun comes up. So, I was very excited when I heard about Skyfire!

Nevertheless, I was a bit skeptical… Weather is notoriously difficult to predict, and trying to predict weather specifically for vibrant sunrises seemed…ambitious. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now, and I’m happy to say it’s worked beautifully! I’ve only had a two instances in which the app has predicted a good possibility of a brilliant sunrise/sunset and I’ve had the ability to seek out a good vantage point, but the app has been spot on in both cases. This shot above was taken at Horsetooth Reservoir during a sunrise that Skyfire predicted (accurately, wouldn’t you say?) would be quite nice.

I’d definitely recommend giving the app a try¹ if you love shooting sunrises or sunsets! There’s a free trial period, so there’s no need to break out the credit card unless you’re happy with the predictions! Happy shooting everyone! 🙂