Somewhere like Santorini, evening sun.
Sitting by a lake, fishing, on a perfect summers morning at about 4am with a bit of mist on the water, then definitely the morning sun.
I wrote this last year in response to a question about whether I preferred sunrise or sunset following taking a photo of both just a few minutes walk from where we were staying on the longest day (warning - long stream of rambling wibble coming up):
Aesthetically, it's only really sunrises where you can have that sort of starburst effect as in my photo from last week, because there's something in the sun's morning light that is intense enough to create it - whereas at sunrise, the sun is generally hazier and duller, and filtered through the day's pollution. But, the corollary is that because of the very same thing, sunset colours are generally deeper, richer, softer, and more infusing - and often spread over a wider expanse of sky. Also, sunrise is always a rush - you have to get there early, hang around in the dark - then there's a bit of a glimmer, then the sun itself, and it rises so quickly that it can all be over in ten minutes. A good sunset goes on for ages - not only do you get the colours as the sun goes down, but sometimes the best sky is a good while after the sun has gone (my one was quarter of an hour after the 'official' sunset time). Sunsets are also a bit more predictable as well, you can often tell in the late afternoon whether it's going to be good or not - whereas for a sunrise you have to guess, and once you're up and awake, if it doesn't happen it's more annoying.... There's more chances of a disappointing sunrise than a disappointing sunset. But then that makes the good sunrises more special. And, with a sunrise, you have more chance of other attractive bonuses like frosts and mist. Then there's the cold. Sunrises win out here, as it only gets warmer. Sunsets, you can find yourself getting colder and colder (and colder).You can go round and round in circles with this!
But spiritually? Sunsets are lovely to watch (and as you say, can involve beer), but they don't usually raise the spirits really, or not that I find anyway - they can be quite melancholic. Sunrises are more exciting I think. Not only because they are all about new life, new day - but it's also something to do with feeling that it's 'my sunrise', as you feel you're on your own - whereas sunsets are shared by all those like me who can't be bothered to get up. The silence at sunrise (except for those pesky birds) is also quite special - it's a unique sort of hush isn't it. And for me, I'm rarely asleep at sunset, but for sunrises I have to make an extra effort - and therefore they feel more special in that sense. However, having said all that, one of the most moving experiences I've had when out with my camera was a sunset on Lindisfarne - I just sat there thinking 'bloody hell, this is so special, this is beyond description - it's all feeling'; it actually made me quite weak with the beauty of it, I almost couldn't look at it as it was so beautiful it was painful.
I've had a quick look through my photos, and I've taken photos of over twice as many individual sunsets as sunrises, but I only have a handful more actual photos. Which means that although I have captured fewer sunrises, I take more photos of each one. Now - whether this is because I subconsciously think they make better photos, or whether because I've made the effort to get up so I take more - or whether deep inside me there's some more primeval connection to sunrises that I am trying to capture I don't really know.
Ha ha. Part of the reason I started this thread is because I was asked a similar question and I’m on the fence. I love the mornings, the tranquility, going for a run, seeing the sun rise over the city and seeing it start to wake up, my first coffee. Equally, sunsets are nice and restful with hopefully with a sense of achievement, a beer and the knowledge that I’ve not got much left to do other than eat and drink and fall into bed.
Morning for me. While I've been furloughed I've enjoyed the morning sun streaming through my living room window and going for dog walks with it sparkling through the trees. And when I'm working it's usually rising on my drive in from Worthing to Lewes and it lifts the spirits.
Showing a preference to sunset at the moment. I've been working nights so riding along the undercliff walk towards Brighton as you've got the last dregs of sunlight just seeping through the horizon, clear sky with a crescent moon and the stars on show, it's a beautiful thing. The ride back during sunrise, although very peaceful first thing, just doesn't make me feel the same way.