Everyone enjoys a beautiful sunset. Is this the result of evolution?

A love of sunsets seems to be a universal human trait. This is remarkable. It’s hard to imagine that the entire population of the planet, regardless of race, creed or colour, could agree about something. Nevertheless, we all agree that sunsets are beautiful. Why is this? Could it be the result of evolution? Let’s explore the subject of sunset photography and see what we can learn.

One of nature’s wonders

Complementary colours in the sky

The physics of sunsets is well understood. When close to, or just below the horizon, the sun’s rays travel through a thicker slice of atmosphere. Particles in the air scatter blue and violet light, exposing our eyes just to the orange-red end of the spectrum. The result can be a spectacular light show: the sky takes on a fiery glow, as high clouds are illuminated with pinkish-purplish light. The spectacle is enhanced by complementary colours: deep blue sky at its zenith and an orange hue at its nadir.

So much for the ‘how’ of sunsets. I am interested in ‘why’ they induce universal feelings of pleasure in those who view them.

Natural selection

Over the aeons, beneficial traits are selected for and propagated across generations via natural selection: survival of the fittest. Through this process, a random genetic variant, which confers a survival benefit upon the recipient, will increase in frequency. Thus, changes in skin pigmentation, allowing more vitamin D production in northern latitudes, have become widespread. Similarly, genetic variations in oxygen-transport biology have enabled humans to adapt to life at high altitude in the Andes.

The sky is on fire

So, is the pleasurable experience of looking at a sunset a universal human adaptation to an ancient environmental threat? Is the joy afforded by witnessing a glorious sunset a beneficial primordial response that arose in humans countless generations ago?

What do the experts say?

Not surprisingly, the question: ‘What evolutionary advantage is there in finding a sunset beautiful?’, has been posed previously.

One respondent argues:

‘There is an evolutionary benefit to appreciating beauty. Beauty is a shorthand way of measuring the fundamental ‘rightness’ of something. In people, for example, the attributes we find beautiful generally correlate quite well with physical health or reproductive ability. Instead of evaluating all these different attributes independently, they all get rolled into a single measure: beauty.’

So, perhaps appreciating a beautiful sunset is just one manifestation of a beneficial aesthetic sense humans have developed.

Sunset cloudscapes

Other commenters believe a ‘connection to nature’ is an important evolutionary trait, because it enabled humans to tap into a vast reservoir of knowledge and resources that have sustained our species for millennia. An appreciation of sunsets could be a manifestation of this beneficial connection to nature.

Ephemeral

Researchers have studied the impact of ephemeral atmospheric phenomena, including sunrises, storms and rainbows, on the mood of volunteers. They demonstrated that sunsets and sunrises were valued most highly, as assessed by measures of awe and beauty. It suggests that an appreciation of sunsets is a trait associated with improved mental health for humans.

People who are charmed by the shifting colours of sunsets are called opacarophiles. The word is derived from ‘opacare’, Latin for sunset or sunrise, and ‘phile’, Greek for love. Watching a beautiful sunset results in the release of dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter. This instinctive, rather than learned, response, again points to an evolutionary origin for ‘sunset loving’.

Sunset viewing

Those of us with the power of sight, apart from the perpetual troglodytes among us, can all see and enjoy sunsets.  After all, they are in the sky, above the trees and buildings that usually obscure subjects closer to the ground. Some of us, though, have slightly more privileged access to sunset viewing than others.

For example, if you have an unobstructed view of the horizon, at the point where the sun dips below it, you are in great shape. Not only can you enjoy the sky lighting up after sunset, you can revel in seeing it wink out.

Winter sunsets

Those of you who have a view looking west over a body of water are even more fortunate. Not only can you see the fireworks in the sky, you can see their reflection in the water. And if that body of water is the ocean, and you can see the horizon in a westerly direction, you are a charmed individual indeed.

In the Northern Hemisphere, during the winter months, those folk get the best possible view. They can see the sun kiss the horizon, wink out, and marvel at a pink, post-sunset, cloudscape.

Green Flash

If they are especially fortunate, they can even witness a ‘green flash’. This is a meteorological optical phenomenon observed only under very specific conditions. It is the result of atmospheric scattering and lensing. The phenomenon is observed just before the sun disappears, lasting for only a second or two. It is more likely to be seen in stable, clear air. In this situation, more of the light from the setting sun reaches the observer without being randomly scattered.

You might expect a blue flash, since the blue component of the sun’s light is the last to disappear below the horizon. Furthermore, blue light is refracted most of all. But, the blue is preferentially scattered out of the line of sight. The remaining light therefore ends up appearing green.

Many people think the green flash is a myth. However, it is a real phenomenon, and I have seen many. They are unpredictable, though. So, to catch one, you have to watch the sun sink below the horizon, over the ocean, many times. What a hardship!

Sunset photography

Those mental health benefits of watching sunsets, referred to above, can also accrue from looking at photos of sunsets. This is good news for people living in parts of the world that are perpetually cloudy. I grew up in such a place; delicious sunsets did not come around that often.

Sunset beacons

Since everyone loves a good sunset shot, sunset photography represents a distinct genre within the broader photography world. You can even follow Instagram feeds devoted to images of sunsets.

I dabble in sunset photography occasionally, and so have a few thoughts on the subject.

Photographing sunsets

Firstly, you can capture spectacular sunsets with any camera. The earliest examples in my collection were taken using an iPhone X. Also, depending on the type of sunset shot you are after, you can employ focal lengths from ultra-wide (e.g., 24mm) to telephoto (e.g., 400mm).

With a wide-angle lens, I can capture a swath of sunset sky, bathed in pink cirrus or altocumulus clouds. A Leica Q2, with its 28mm lens, does a pretty good job.

Clouds on fire

If there is a little mist or haze near the horizon, a long telephoto shot becomes an option. You can shoot directly at the sun’s glowing ball while keeping exposure under control.

If possible, placing a subject in the foreground of a sunset shot can both add interest and provide context. I have employed palm trees, street lamps, sometimes palm trees and street lamps, people, and even tiki torches. These foreground subjects are usually in silhouette, and so possessing a recognizable shape assists with composition.

Sunsets and silhouettes

If you can manage it, including an aerial object in the frame can lift the image to another level. On one occasion, I was fortunate to capture a passing seagull. On another, the moon had begun to rise while there was still a residual glow in the sky from that evening’s sunset.

Aerial alignment

Abstract sunset photography

An alternative approach to sunset photography is to go abstract. Orange-red sunlight, coupled with swirling clouds and deep blue sky, can produce wonderful arrays of complementary colours and textures.

Nature is even better than Turner at conjuring up moody, brooding scenes, using a palette of vivid colours daubed on the canvas with abandon.

Moody blues (and reds, oranges, and yellows)

Here is where a telephoto lens, or aggressive cropping of a high-resolution image, hits the spot. Shorn of context and reference points, the images look like something an Impressionist painter would come up with.

Spotting clouds that resemble creatures such as bunny rabbits or angels is a fun pastime. Throwing in some sunset colours adss an extra dimension to the game. Am I the only one that thinks this next photo shows a dragon flying across the sky?

Sunset photography season

In my experience, predicting whether there will be a stellar sunset on a given evening is tricky. Although the sky might look clear, low clouds or mist near the horizon can block the sun. Even if the sun remains visible all the way to the horizon, clouds might be at the wrong altitude to light up. Sometimes, though, you get a sense that this evening could be a good one.

I live less than five minutes walk from a south-west-facing beach. So, if the sky is generally clear, apart from wispy stratus clouds, or there are lower cumulus clouds after a storm, it’s worth checking out. So, as sunset approaches, camera around my neck, I either walk or cycle to the beach to take a peek.

For me, Autumn and Winter are the best seasons for sunset photography. For a few months, the sun sets over the ocean, the air is clear, and sundown occurs early. It’s not too cold outside, and I can still be back home in time for cocktails.

Is an interest in sunset photography a further example of human evolution?

If a love of sunsets is a result of human evolution, what about people who love photographing sunsets? Or even more to the point, what about people who love photographing sunsets using a Leica camera? Do they represent yet a further step in human evolution, whose genes will be advantageously propagated throughout further generations?

Probably not. The typical Leica-owner demographic is likely to be past the stage in life when there might be a link between a given trait and propagation of genes related to that trait. Ah well, we can still hope that future generations will enjoy photos of sunsets we took long before they were born.

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