Sunset photos - some hints

[ronners]

I think that I took my first sunset photo about twenty years ago - blurry foreground, crooked horizon, non-descript sunset... Anyway, I'm now lucky enough to be able to enjoy Pacific sunsets quite regularly, and judging by a number of photos on this site, a lot of other people find themselves in great locations as well. I thought I'd pass on a few sunset photography hints...

First of all - the camera sees it differently than the eye. The way to prevent your exposure meter from being 'fooled' is to balance things up and reduce the range from brightest area to darkest area. You can either use a fill-in flash to brighten the foreground (which I dislike in most cases), or you can darken the brightest area. The latter is achieved by using what's called a graduated neutral density filter. This is a flat piece of glass (circular of square like the Cokin ones) which is half dark and half clear, with a soft edge in between. To use, place the darker half above the horizon of your shot. The f-stop range will be reduced and the overall exposure will typically be improved.

If your camera won't take filters, you can simply hold it by hand - though I recommend using a tripod for the camera;)

Another key point about sunset photos is that you need something else interesting in the shot. I used to be as guilty as anyone of forgetting this, with the result that my sunsets ended up being pretty bland (with exposure failngs not helping). You've got this wonderful, rich, soft light, so why not use it to give a subject a new perspective?

Finally, always bracket your exposure - if your camera will allow you to do so.

Because sunsets are so appealing, yet so difficult for us as photographers to get right, they can be a source of a lot of disappointment. But with these hints in mind, you may get the results you actually want to. I'm still trying...

Ron.

[mdchachi]

Great advice, thanks.