Why do people take more pictures of sunsets than sunrises?

Majestic Sunsets around the world: 93 locations

By Phoebe Pineda

Points to Ponder : “As your day comes to a close, ask yourself whether you’ve done everything you set out to do or been the person you desire to be.” - Everyday Power.com

 Story Line: Why do people take more pictures of sunsets than sunrises?

Perhaps it’s because many of us (particularly those of us who are night owls) aren’t awake for the sunrise.  But maybe it’s that there’s something special about sunsets – about how no two sunsets are alike, each with its own combination of striking colors lending new life to deserts, cityscapes, and ocean waves.  Every sunset is as unique as the day it concludes, an opportunity to take a step back and reflect on what we learned.

In one of my last writing classes, our professor had us submit an essay reflecting on each of our writing assignments.  In each reflection, we looked back on our writing process and the decisions we made: how did we make our writing easier for a reader to approach?  What type of reader are we writing for?  What were some of the challenges we faced, and what aspects did we enjoy?  The goal of these reflection essays, according to my professor, was to track our progress as writers – to keep a log of how we approach different assignments and what we learn in doing so, which can be a very valuable tool for improvement.  They also serve as a way to validate our growth, providing something we can look back on and see where we were and how we might do things differently, or how trying something new for one essay became integrated into our approaches to other essays.  It can feel tedious picking our work apart, rehashing what we’ve already written instead of pursuing something new, but at the same time, looking back at something you’ve completed and meditating on it can feel refreshing.  You’ve already done the hard work, and now you can relax and really acknowledge the amount of hard work you’ve put in, and how it’s paid off.

Where sunrises serve as a command, or a call to action, sunsets offer catharsis.  It’s why we take so many walks at dusk on the beach, or spend so many evening car rides just peering out the window, watching the glass go from golden-orange to rosy lavender as night falls.  My family’s spent the past few New Year’s Eves chasing that final sunset, and it feels like a fitting conclusion, a way to stop, breathe, and say goodbye to the old year in all its highs and lows, all its joys and hardships.

We’ll head into 2022 anew, with visions for what we want to accomplish and how we want to get there.  But as we ride out the final hours of 2021, I encourage everyone to take a moment to sit back and watch the sky.

 

Countries: Botswana,Cambodia,CostaRica,Scotland/England,Fiji,Guatemala,Japan,Laos,New Zealand,Malaysia,Philippines,Samoa,India,Indonesia,Israel,Taiwan,Thailand,Tonga,USA,Zambia.

Contributors: Sunsets Around The World Video. 93 locations, 31 Photographers, 20 Countries, 5 Continents

Alankar Naik: North Carolina (182-193), Alka Pandya: Mumbai (115-116),Boon Seng Tan: Hillsoboro,OR and Pismo Beach,Ca (97,103,150), Chen Ping and Oliver Chen: California Coast and Yosemite(114, 143-144), Chet Thaker: Zambia and Bostwana (163-168,172-179*), City Ong: Penang, Malaysia (69-72,,89,99-100,104,108-109,113,124-135*,141-142,181), Gabriela Cruz Thompson: Costa Rica/Oregon (110-112),Gordon Ching: Ohau, Hawaii (117-119,121-123*,139-140),Haresh Parikh: Ahmedabad, India (203-207),Kalpana Shah Korvar:Poona, India (145-146*),Kashyap Shah:KeyWest,FL and Kannapali,Maui (170,180), Kevin Rockwood:Manila, Philippines(153),Madhuri Narkhede: Picacho Peak,AZ (136),Mayur Desai: SanDiego,Ca (161-162),Mihir Shah: San Francisco Bay, Pillar Point,Ca (154-55,202),Nitin Godiwla:Rhode Island (229), Phobe Pineda: Culver City,Ca (157), Rajan Shah:Mussorie and Coorg India (137-8,156), Rajiv Shah: San Francisco (105-106),Ronak Shodhan: Ahmedabad,India(228),Samantha Baud: Los Altos,Ca (171),Sharad Mehta: Amelia Island,FL(169),Sharvary Trivedi: Goa,India(67-68),Shashank Phadke: Moffet Field, Ca(158),Shinji Hioki:Oregon Coast(101-102),Swati Desai:Dwarka,Nasik,Abu,Goa-India, Bali(194-201),

Prasad Vepa:Montara(8),Carmel(9),BarHarbor(13),parque(22),PacificGrove(54),SantaCruz(55),Sunnyvale(56),Saratoga(147),Maui(148).

Gautam Singampalli: SanJose(160),GandCanyon,MonumentValley,Guatamala,Assam, AcreIsland-Israel,Jerusalem,LaguanaBeach-Ca, Outrey-Colorado,Amritsar,Ladakh,Yousemite,MountShasta,HalfMoonBay,MountWhitney and Mahabalipuram(208-227).

AnandLuisa Shah: Goa(1-4),Kauai(5-7),BryceCanyon(10-11),YellowStone(12),Christchurch,FranJoseph-NZ(14-15),VitiLevu-Fiji(16-21),SiemReap-Cambodia(23-25),LuangPrabang-Laos(26),Zion(27),DeathValley(28-29),Sunnyvale(30,98),Milpitas(31-2),Pascadero(33),Bali,Indonesia(34-37),SanLuisObispo(38),KingCity(39),LosAltos(40,96,107),Upolu-Samoa(41-47),Savaii-Samoa(48-50),Haapai-Tongatapu-Tonga(51-53),Glasgow-IsleofSkye-Scotland(58-61),HalfMoonBay(62-63),Seattle(64-65),SantaClara(66),ChianMai-Thailand(73),Bohol-Philippines(74-76),ElNido&Coron-Palawan(77-86),Okinawa-Japan(87),Alishan-Taiwan(88,90-94) and MountainView,Ca(151-152)

Unknown(95,120)…

*Few Photos of Moon.

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.

Comments

[Pinakin Parikh]

HE is a great painter 🎨🌈

[Shashank (means moon!)]

I love sunsets .. but recently I have fallen in love with moon-rises! I have found them equally majestic and calming! From a fast paced day they turn your pace to a quiet night and are often spectacular. Often ignored - ‘coz they don’t occur every single day and are hard to capture with a point and click camera 😀 Majestic ones are always elusive, isn’t it? Food for reflection.

[Nitin]

Many moods and almost all colors of sunsets are beautifully presented.
Thank you for the treat of sunsets from around the world.

[Swati]

Superb Anand
Really enjoyed worldwide 🌅

[Prasad Vepa]

This is a beautiful post, Anand, with well selected sunsets and sunrises from around the globe. Loved Phoebe's reflection that sunrises can be seen as a call to action and sunsets a catharsis. Sunrises should rightly invigorate us to action while sunsets whisper a calming reminder to stand down for the day, following a timeless circadian clock. Her line transported me to the scene painted by the opening lines of Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard:
"The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me." This evocative opening of the elegy takes one instantly to a dusty dusk at sunset.
My own reflection is that nature unites all of humanity. All of us see the same Sun rise and set regardless of where in the planet we live. The Sun humbles us and inspires us every day in a few quiet moments of reflection.
This is thoughtfully written and enjoyable to read. Well done, Phoebe!

[Selina]

That is very true. Thanks for the great sharing ♥️😃

[MS]

I agree with you 💯%. Especially regarding the reflection part. :)