What is a good sunset photography challenge?
A good one gives you a single, specific prompt per evening, makes you shoot before and after the Sun goes down, and is short enough to finish: fourteen evenings is enough to change your habits. Most 30-day photo challenges online cover every subject. This one is only sunsets, and each night comes with an estimated sunset time and direction for your city, so you know where to stand.
Honest limits
- Estimates, not promises. Times and directions below use the NOAA solar calculation for a city centre and a flat horizon. Hills, buildings and trees are not modelled, here or in Asterfold.
- No weather here. This page cannot tell you whether the sky will light up. Asterfold's Tonight tab shows cloud from MET Norway and a rule-of-thumb rating, which is an estimate, not a probability.
- Free has a ceiling. Asterfold's free tier covers 2 viewpoints and the next 3 evenings. Unlimited viewpoints, smart sky alerts and the 10-day outlook are part of Asterfold Plus.
- Eyes first. Never stare at the Sun through a viewfinder or long lens while it is still well above the horizon.
A mini story: night 3, the four frames
Night 3 is the one that converts people. You set the phone on a wall, frame a rooftop line, and take the same shot at 20 minutes before sunset, at sunset, 10 minutes after and 25 after. On the screen they look like four different places. The first is gold and flat. The second is the one everyone takes. The third has the pink. The fourth, the one most people have already walked away from, is deep blue with the streetlights on, and it is usually the best.
An illustrative scenario we wrote, not a user story.
Your dated 14-evening sunset calendar
Pick your city and a start date. Each row shows the estimated sunset time, when to arrive (30 minutes before) and the approximate compass direction of the setting Sun.
Estimates computed in your browser with the NOAA solar algorithm, city centre, flat horizon. Tick a row to count it toward the ring above.
Who this challenge is not for
If you already plan shoots by bearing and cloud height, you will find this basic; go straight to Asterfold's Aim Your View or a dedicated planner like The Photographer's Ephemeris or PlanIt Pro. If you are near the poles in deep winter or summer, the Sun may not set normally and the calendar will say so. And if you mainly want weather forecasts, a weather app will serve you better than a challenge.
Why Asterfold fits night 7 and beyond
After a few evenings you start wanting to know why one sky lit up and another did not. Asterfold's field journal lets you rate what you saw in two taps, and compares each check-in with the forecast it saved before that sunset, never a later one. After three check-ins, its colour ratings adjust to your own sky in small, capped steps. One decision we made on purpose: calculated, forecast, estimated and observed data are labelled differently, so you always know which is which.
Sunset challenge questions
What is a sunset photography challenge?
A set of short, specific prompts, one per evening, that push you to shoot sunsets differently: silhouettes, reflections, blue hour, the sky behind you. This one runs 14 evenings, so it fits two weeks without taking over a month.
Do I have to shoot 14 evenings in a row?
No. Skip cloudy or busy nights and pick up the next prompt when you can. The progress ring only counts what you tick; there is no streak to break.
How early should I arrive for a sunset shoot?
About 30 minutes before sunset gives you time to find a frame while the light is still warm, and staying 25 to 30 minutes after catches blue hour. The calendar on this page shows the estimated sunset time and the approximate direction for each evening.
Can I do the challenge on a phone?
Yes. Every prompt works on a phone camera. Tap to set exposure on the bright sky for silhouettes, and lock it if your phone lets you.
How accurate are the sunset times here?
They are estimates from the NOAA solar calculation, run in your browser for a city centre, assuming a flat horizon. Hills, buildings and trees can block the Sun earlier, and your exact spot may be a minute or two different.
Is Asterfold free?
Free includes the Light Path Studio, aiming and plans for 2 viewpoints, the field journal, check-ins and tuning, tonight's ratings, the next 3 evenings and 45 days of events. Asterfold Plus (yearly with a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers, monthly or lifetime) adds unlimited viewpoints, smart sky alerts, the 10-day outlook and a year of sky events.
Start night one tonight
Fourteen prompts, one evening at a time, and a journal that remembers what the sky actually did.
Open Asterfold in the App Store
Updated November 2026
Related
- Asterfold: golden hour and sunset plannerSee where the Sun sets from your own viewpoint, when golden and blue hour start, and how the sky really turned out. Free on iPhone.
- What time to book a golden hour photo sessionPick a city and date to get an estimated start time for golden hour photos: when to arrive, first frame, sunset and blue-hour wrap.
- How long does blue hour last? Myths vs factsBlue hour lasts about 15 to 40 minutes in most places, not an hour. Six myths vs facts, plus a slider that estimates it for your city and date.
- Earliest sunset of the year: find your city's dateThe earliest sunset comes before the winter solstice. Pick your city to see the 2026 date and time, the latest sunrise, and when evenings get longer.