王思聪电竞馆:12 Tips for Photographing Stunning Sunsets

12 Tips for Photographing Stunning Sunsets

‘No good travel photo album is complete without the token sunrise or sunset picture!’

Many travelers seem to live by this mantra - however most sunset and sunrise photographs that I see are quite disappointing.

They need not be - sunsets and sunrises are not that difficult to photograph!

Tips for Photographing Stunning Sunrises and Sunsets

Think Ahead - While sometimes wonderful sunrise andsunset shots can be taken spontaneously without any forethought it’soften the case that the best ones come out of planning. Scope outplaces that might be good for sunsets in the day or two before yourshoot. Look for interesting places where you might not only be able tosee the sun track all the way down but where there will beopportunities for shots that include foreground elements andsilhouettes. Sunsets only take half an hour or so so you want to thinkabout these elements before they start or you might miss the shotsyou’re after.

Find out when the sun will set or rise and get there at least halfan hour before hand as it’s often in the lead up to and the time afterthe sun appears or disappears that the real magic happens.

Keep an eye on the weather also. There are a variety of differenttypes of sunsets that produce a range of different types of lights andpatterns in the sky. Don’t just go for clear days for these shots -while they can produce some wonderful colors it’s usually the timeswhere there is cloud around that the real action happens! Also be awareof days when there is dust or smoke in the air as they can produceamazing results also.

Consider ahead of time what equipment you might need. Include a tripod, lenses that will give you a range of focal lengths, extra batteries etc.

Composition Techniques

Shoot at a variety of focal lengths - wide angle cancreate sweeping landscape shots but if you want the sun itself to be afeature of the shot you’ll want to be able to zoom right in.

Keep in mind that the sun is just half a degree across so when youshoot with a wide lens it will only be taking up a reasonably smallpart of the photo. If you want it to be a feature of your shot you’llneed to zoom in on it using anything from a 200mm lens upwards. Thiswill increase your need for a tripod!

Also be aware that when you look at the sun at the best of times itcan be dangerous but when you look through a magnifying lens it can bequite dangerous is the sun is still too high in the sky.

Silhouettes as focal points - As with all photos,sunsets need a point of interest and one of the best ways to add one toa picture is to try to incorporate some sort of Silhouette into theshot. This could be something large like a mountain range, somethingthat is part of the environment like a palm tree or a pier or couldeven be a person.

The great things about Silhouettes is that they add mood and contextto a sunset or sunrise shot. I’ll write more on silhouettes in a futurearticle.

Rule of thirds - Remember the rule of thirds in yourphotographing of sunrises and sunsets. While you can always break therule it’s often a good idea to place elements like the horizon, sun,silhouettes etc off centre.

Exposure Techniques

Shoot at a variety of exposures - if you let yourcamera decide what shutter length to shoot at you’re likely to get ashot that doesn’t really capture the beauty of the light. Quite oftenthe shot will be under exposed because the sky is still reasonablylight.

Instead of relying upon the camera’s auto mode a sunset is an idealtime to switch your camera into aperture or shutter priority mode andto take a variety of shots at different exposures.

The great thing about sunsets and sunrises is that there is no one‘right’ exposure and that you can get stunning results using a varietyof them. Also keep in mind that different exposures (aperture andshutter speeds) will produce a variety of different results so it’sworth taking more than just a few shots - the key is to experiment.

I tend to switch into shutter priority mode and start with arelatively quick shutter speed and then slowly work down to slowerones.

Bracketing - Another technique to try to get theright exposure is ‘bracketing’ where you look at what the camerasuggests you take the picture at and then take a few shots at bothunder and over that mark. ie if your camera says to shoot at 1/60th ofa second at f/8 you would shoot off a shot at 1/60 at f/5.6 and then atf/11. In doing so you end up with a series of shots at differentexposures which will all give you slightly different results andcolors. Most DSLR’s and some point and shoot digital cameras have a built in bracketing feature so you don’t need to do this manually - learn how to use it!

Auto Exposure Lock - Another exposure trick, if youdon’t have a bracketing mode or don’t feel confident in using it is ifyour camera has ‘auto exposure lock’ which allows you to point yourcamera at a darker place and lock in exposure for that spot (ie youcould point it at the ground in front of you and lock in that exposure)and then reframe the picture looking at the sunset. This will mean youget a more over exposed shot.

Take camera out of Auto White balance mode - when you set yourcamera to ‘Auto’ in it’s white balance mode you run the risk of losingsome of the warm golden tones of a sunrise or sunset. Instead tryshooting in ‘cloudy’ or ’shade’ which are usually used in cooler lightsand tell your camera to warm things up a little. Alternatively - ifyou’re shooting a sunrise and DO want a cooler moody shot you canexperiment with other white balance settings.

Other Sunset and Sunrise Tips

Tripod - If you’re shooting at longer shuttersspeeds and with longer focal lengths then a tripod or some other way ofensuring your camera is completely still is essential.

Manual Focus - sometimes when shooting in extremelighting conditions some cameras can have trouble focussing. If this isthe case for your camera consider switching to manual focus to ensureyou get nice crisp shots.

Look around you - The wonderful thing about sunsets isthat they not only create wonderful colors in the sky in front of youbut they also can cast a beautiful golden light that is wonderful forother types of photography. As the sunset progresses keep an eye onother opportunities for shots around you (not just in front of you).You might find a great opportunity for a portrait, landscape shot,macro shot etc behind you in the colden light.

Keep Shooting - A sunset or sunrise constantly changesover time and can produce great colors well after the sun goes down orappears so keep shooting at different exposures and focal lengths asI’ve mentioned above until you’re sure it’s all over.

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