Chasing the Perfect Sunset at Seaford Beach: March 2025

For the past couple of years, I’ve had a very specific image in mind: the sun setting directly behind Newhaven Lighthouse, viewed from Seaford Beach. My first serious attempt was back in September 2023, and while promising, it left me with a mental checklist of improvements. This March 2025, with a high-pressure system settling in and hazy skies predicted all week, I decided it was time to return for another go. This time, I made two dedicated visits in two consecutive days—each unique in its own way.

March 4, 2025: Calm Haze and Minimalism

Conditions were perfect on paper: days of high pressure, haze building up, almost no wind. I parked at Splash Point and walked the length of Seaford Beach to the alignment point near Buckle Car Park, using PhotoPills to match the sun’s descent with the lighthouse. This time I was more agile—just my Canon 100-400mm, monopod, and small pack.

Setup and Technique

• Canon 100-400mm lens, shooting at 400mm with the monopod.
• Aperture Priority with Auto ISO, minimum shutter locked at 1/500s
• Aperture wide open at f/5.6, then f/8 earlier on
• Image Stabilisation on, handheld or supported with monopod

The sunset was exactly what I’d hoped for—red haze, calm reflective water, and a clear view of the lighthouse. The alignment was strong, and although I didn’t switch to the tripod for longer exposures post-sunset, I knew I was close to what I’d visualised the year before.

Getting A Sharp Image

The sun moves fast as it sets on the western horizon, no time to setup a tripod you have to keep walking east to align with the lighthouse. This is a lot easier in the cool evenings of March as not loads of sunbathers on the beach. So with handholding need a faster shutter speed to avoid any motion blur. Despite the monopod and image stabilisation shutter speed needs to be at least 1 over the focal length(400mm) so 1/500 was ideal for an almost guaranteed sharp image.

Why Was It So Hazy on the Horizon?

Even though it was early March, the atmosphere had that summer-like haze—soft, white skies, and a sun that glowed orange-red as it hit the western horizon. This wasn’t a fluke — it’s a direct result of prolonged high-pressure systems.

When high pressure lingers over an area for several days, the atmosphere becomes very stable. That stability means there’s little vertical mixing — no rising air to disperse particles. Instead, dust, pollen, salt, and fine pollution gradually accumulate in the lower atmosphere. Over time, these suspended particles create a visible haze layer, particularly close to the horizon where your line of sight passes through more atmosphere.

Add to that the low angle of the sun near sunset, and the light has to travel through a thicker cross-section of that hazy layer. The result? More scattering of shorter blue wavelengths, leaving you with warm tones — rich oranges and reds, and soft, minimal contrast. That’s why even in cool March air, you can still get that golden, dreamy light.

The longer the high pressure holds, the thicker and more dramatic the haze — and for photography, that can work beautifully if you’re aiming for atmospheric silhouettes and pastel skies.

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March 5, 2025: Fog and Fortuity

I returned the next day with one goal: refine the composition and capture a long exposure after sunset. But this time, I was greeted with something entirely unexpected—sea fog, thick enough that I couldn’t even see the lighthouse from the car park.

With over an hour until sunset, I debated packing it in but decided to walk to Tide Mills and wait. Sure enough, as the sun dropped, the fog began to lift. The cliffs re-emerged, and then just as the sun hit the horizon, the lighthouse appeared—backlit by a red disc of sun diffused through the haze.

What Worked

• Exposure was softer than the night before
• More agile with 1/500 exposure – not need monopod.
• The sun’s colour was deeper—less blown out, more atmospheric
• Composition was again nearly perfect—sun aligned with lighthouse

Even though low light there is a lot of bright light in the frame given the compression of 400mm so even at F/8 for slightly more sharpness the auto ISO not go over 200.

What Didn’t

• A fellow photographer turned up—chatting pulled me out of focus just when the timing was most critical
• Forgot to do the planned long exposure during blue hour

Still, the session gave me something completely new: a moody, fog-hazed atmosphere I hadn’t captured before.

Why Did the Fog Clear Right at Sunset?

It caught me off guard, but in hindsight, the timing made sense.

Fog, especially sea fog (advection fog), often forms when warmer moist air moves over cooler sea surfaces — common during high-pressure systems. In my case, the fog had rolled in thick and unexpected, blanketing the view completely an hour before sunset.

But as the sun dropped, something shifted.

Even though you’d expect things to cool down, the angle of the sun actually concentrates heat near the surface, especially on calm, hazy days. That low-angle sunlight can warm just enough of the boundary layer to start dissipating thin fog — especially when there’s no wind to reinforce it. In effect, the sun acts like a slow burner, gradually lifting or thinning the fog just in time for golden hour.

It doesn’t always happen — but when it does, you get moments like this. And this time, the theory held up. Right on cue, the fog thinned, the lighthouse reappeared… and I got the shot.

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September 2023: The Original Attempt

Looking back, my first real shot at this was in September 2023. The beach was busy, the composition was slightly off-centre, and the breakwater was full of people.

The sky had beautiful colour, but the sun wasn’t symmetrical behind the lighthouse. It lacked the isolation and clarity I now aim for.

In Comparison:

• March 2025 wins on alignment, atmosphere, and execution
• The September image had great potential but felt too cluttered

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Lessons Learned

✅ Use the Buckle Car Park for direct access to the alignment point
✅ Arrive early and observe how conditions evolve—fog can clear fast
✅ Stay focused—chatting during those few crucial minutes can cost the shot
✅ Don’t forget the tripod and long exposures after sunset

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Final Thoughts

While I still think there’s room to improve—maybe with a higher elevation or different cloud texture—these March 2025 sessions gave me the closest version yet to what I’ve visualised. The fog added something unique I couldn’t have planned. And that’s the thing with landscape photography: you can prepare, but you can’t predict. Sometimes, the best shots are the ones that come right at the edge of giving up.

More attempts may follow. But for now, this is as close to the vision as I’ve come—and I’m happy with that.