The past few days have produced some amazing sunrises and sunsets. Why is Michigan a top destination for breathtaking sunrise and sunset photos? There are several reasons. Firstly, we have a Great Lake on both the Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula sides. The best sunset photos always include water, and Michigan’s topography allows us to capture both. Michigan is one of only two states (the other being Florida) where you can capture both a sunrise and a sunset over the water.
However, capturing the sun setting over the lake is just the beginning of an amazing image. An shot of a Great Lake sunset with a lot of fascinating foreground details. Here in Michigan, Garret Ellison, the statewide environment writer for MLive, frequently discovers the amazing fusion of sky, lake, sun, and monuments.
On Friday, April 14, 2023, a large crowd gathers at the pier in South Haven, Michigan, to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan. (MLive | Garrett Ellison)
Blue water and intriguing sights like sand dunes and lighthouses are what we have. We also include Michigan’s distinctive clouds, which provide a constantly shifting sky. We now possess an image.
With 48 years of experience in the field, Traverse City photographer John Robert Williams states, “The clouds are the blank white canvas that the sun and water colors shine on.” Williams boasts that a sunset in Michigan has a multitude of colors, including blue, orange, red, and the green of the hills. He also includes a photo of a Michigan sunset, which typically features an intriguing subject in the background, midground, and foreground.
Images of the ocean usually only show the sky and the water. John Robert Williams takes many more shots of the sunrise than the sunset from where he resides. He frequently posts a serene, lovely photo of Grand Traverse Bay to the Michigan Weather Facebook Group to kick off our mornings.
In a great photo, the coastline features and the blue waters are clearly visible. The true secrets, in my opinion, lie in the layers of diverse clouds. The current weather plays a role in that. Clearly, we’ve been running warmer than usual lately. As a result, there are less clouds overall but still enough to create a striking sky image. Over the lake, our clouds are incredibly low, resembling fog. We may also get a layer of marshmallow-colored mid-level clouds and the flimsy high clouds that are sometimes referred to as “mares’ tails” at this time of year.
