Wanaka Tree - Best Time to Photograph - Sunrise or Sunset

I am new here. Would anyone know when is the best time to photograph the Wanaka Tree on the South Island of New Zealand Sunrise or Sunset? Any idea how early to set up before the crowds showup?

Its not just sunrise or sunset. You also need to consider the weather ( Wanaka Weather - NZ Weather Forecast from MetService.com ) and your background. You can get a wide range of different shots with different backgrounds depending on where you stand. There is also angle of view - do you plan to get up close with a wide angle or stand back and use a telephoto? Sometimes when the lake level is down the tree is completely out of the water (it is a crack willow and it reputed to have grown from a fencepost) and sometimes when the lake level is higher it is surrounded by water. In general people start arriving fairly early but you could include the people in the shot to show scale or human interest. There is a huge range of shots in Google images.

Part of the attraction of such iconic spots is that --like the haystacks of Monet--the changing light and conditions themselves are as much a part of the image as the physical object. (see also the Big Sur and Stieglitz's back window)

 

 

 

The best time is always when you are there.

Wanaka was made for autumn, everything looks beautiful; Cold mornings with incredible dawns - seeing the morning light reflecting on yellow leaves was amazing and the fog above the rivers around the big lake is magical.