Sunset Photography 101 – How to Take Great Photos
Everyone loves looking at gorgeous sunsets, which is why sunset photograhpy is so popular. If you want to take stunning sunset pictures, then here are some some simple techniques you can use to get photos that really stand out.
Sunset Photography Rule #1: Protect Your Camera and Your Eyes
It is harmful to your eyes and your camera’s image sensor to point your camera directly at the sun. Using an optical zoom or long lens will magnify the sun’s damaging effects. If you want to get a better picture (and play it safe), wait until the sun has fallen below the horizon or is a dark red color.
Sunset Photography Rule #2: Capture the Intense Colors
Ever take a beautiful brilliant sunset and then see it on your computer and wonder what happened to the bright colors? Usually the culprit is the camera’s automatic white balance. While your human eyes appreciate those brilliant sunset yellows, oranges, magentas and blues, the camera’s automatic white balance tries to correct them, to dull them down so that they appear “normal.”.Here is what you can do to capture the true color:
- If you have manual settings, turn off the auto white balance, and then set the white balance to the warm side.
- If your camera has a color lens setting or you are shooting with an SLR or DSLR, try some shots with the red filter selected or attached.
- Using a compact camera that doesn’t have manual settings? The easiest solution is to set your camera to sunset mode. This works for sunrises too. Sunset mode automatically sets the white balance to keep the warm shift in its color balance. Sunset mode also helps the camera to automatically use the best focus and exposure (no flash) for this type of picture.
- None of these apply to your camera? Use Landscape mode or automatic, and then use a photo editor to adjust the white balance to reflect the brilliant colors you know were there.
- You may also want to play around with different exposure settings on your camera or you can use a photo editor to lighten or darken the tones. Be sure to make changes on copies, not the original!
- Often a slower shutter speed will better capture the sunset; in this case, a tripod may be needed to steady your camera.
Sunset Photography Rule #3: Capture the Best Compositions
- Use basic landscape photography techniques and patience to create stunning sunset pictures.
- Not all sunsets make great photos. To get a remarkable sunset photo, you need a remarkable sunset. Look for clouds, as they almost always make for more impressive sunsets. Sunsets with clouds are even more impressive over large bodies of water.
- Give yourself time to watch the sunset and wait for the really amazing pictures.
- Take your sunset photos in areas where you’re free from clutter or distractions like power lines and buildings (unless you intend to have the building as part of your photo).
- Provide context and scale by composing your shots with something in the foreground such as silhouetted palms, a lone pine, a boat, a person. The sunset will usually create the silhouettes giving your picture more drama.
- If the sky is the most important part of the sunset, compose your photo so that 2/3 of it is filled with sky. If the water’s reflection or silhouettes is the most interesting part of the picture, give this 2/3 of the picture’s frame.
- Go to the beach where you will find some of the best opportunities for sunset photos. Here you can watch the sun set over the horizon and your pictures will have the colorful reflections from the water. Other good places include the desert and prairie where you also often can see the horizon and where the additional dust in the air adds to the color.
And once you take a sunset picture you love, make sure to display it a picture frame on your wall. Many sunset photos have stunning vistas that can look great framed in a panoramic picture frame or displayed in a picture frame and mat.
This is all you need for succeeding at sunset photography so start using these tips and you’ll be happily surprised at the beautiful sunset pictures you’ll capture.
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Filed under Amateur Photographer, Photography by JamesJ
