Like let’s assume 10am and 6pm are the same relative angles of sun in the sky- why isn’t the lighting identical warmth in photos?
In: Physics
The “white” light we get from the sun is actually composed of lots of different colors (like a rainbow). When light rays bend via refraction, the different colors bend differently. When the sun appears closer to the horizon (morning near sunrise, evening near sunset), more orange-red colored light reaches the surface of the Earth (and any clouds/dust/aerosols hanging in the air near the surface).
So that’s the source of reddish/warmer light. How much of that warmer light reaches your eyes depends in large part on how much dust/cloud/aerosol cover there is for that light to bounce off of and reflect back down to the ground. In many places, much of that dust/cloud/aerosol cover comes in large part from activity that occurs during the day (car exhaust fumes, industrial output, etc.). When that activity cease (or slows) at the end of the day, it dissipates. Therefore, in the morning there are fewer particulates in the air to reflect the red light.
As a result sunsets are generally a more spectacular red/orange than sunrises.
See also [Scientific American](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-smog-creates-beautiful-sunsets/).
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