I have photographed sunset across the National Harbor of Refuge and the Delaware Breakwater East End light countless times over the years and I am seldom alone at this spot at Cape Henlopen. The combination of wide open sky and solid objects offshore (the lighthouse) have provided me with reference points that show the wide annual variation of where on the horizon the sun sets. Between the extreme southern point on the western shore at the winter solstice, and the extreme norther point at the summer solstice, the sun’s journey, relative to the horizon, provides a wide variety of angles to align the setting sun with the lighthouse. Foreground and background elements vary, tide height that affects exposure of the sand flats or water coverage of them, and cloud shapes and density all make for a photography subject area that is very different day to day. A couple of years ago I photographed this sunset in mid-April when the setting sun’s rays aligned nicely with the posts marking the summer closure for Cape Henlopen point. If you enjoy shooting sunset at Cape Henlopen look for this alignment in April, if the posts are across the low tide sand flats again this year.
