| Everyone loves looking at gorgeous sunsets, which is | | | | exposure settings or use your photo editor to |
| why sunset photography is so popular. If you want | | | | darken or lighten. Be sure to make changes on a |
| to take stunning sunset pictures, then here are some | | | | copy of the original file- never the original! |
| some simple techniques you can use to get photos | | | | * Sometimes a slower shutter speed will work better |
| that really stand out. | | | | for sunset photos so if you do, make sure to use a |
| Sunset Photography Rule #1: Protect your Eyes and | | | | tripod to steady your camera. |
| Camera | | | | Sunset Photography Rule #3: Capture the Best |
| It is dangerous to your eyes and to your camera's | | | | Compositions |
| image sensor to point your camera directly at a | | | | * Use basic landscape photography techniques and |
| bright yellow sun. Using a long lens or optical zoom will | | | | patience to create stunning sunset pictures. |
| magnify the damaging effects. If you want to get a | | | | * Not all sunsets make great photos. To get a |
| better picture (and play it safe), wait until the sun | | | | remarkable sunset picture, you need an amazing |
| has fallen below the horizon or is a dark red color. | | | | sunset. Look for clouds, as they almost always make |
| Sunset Photography Rule #2: Capture the Color | | | | for more impressive sunsets. Sunsets with clouds are |
| Ever run out the door to photograph a brilliant sunset | | | | even more impressive over large bodies of water. |
| but then after uploading to your computer wonder | | | | * Give yourself time to watch the sunset and wait |
| what happened to those saturated, bright hues? | | | | for the really amazing pictures. |
| Usually the culprit is the camera's automatic white | | | | * Take your sunset photos in areas where you're |
| balance. While your eyes can easily see the brilliant | | | | free from clutter or distractions like power lines and |
| yellows, oranges, magentas and blues of a sunset, | | | | buildings (unless you intend to have the building as |
| the camera's automatic white balance works to dull | | | | part of your photo). |
| down the bright colors to make them look more | | | | * Compose your pictures with something in the |
| normal..The solutions are simple: | | | | foreground like a palm tree or boat to give the image |
| * If you have manual settings, turn off the auto | | | | context and scale. The sunset will usually create the |
| white balance, and then set the white balance to the | | | | silhouettes giving your picture more drama. |
| warm side. | | | | * If the sky is the most dramatic part of the sunset, |
| * If your camera has a color lens setting or you are | | | | compose your picture so that two thirds of it is filled |
| shooting with an SLR or DSLR, try some shots with | | | | with sky. If the reflection on water and silhouettes is |
| the red filter selected or attached. | | | | the most captivating part of the pictures give this |
| * Using a compact that doesn't offer these manual | | | | two thirds of your image's real estate. |
| settings? Really simple solution here: set it to sunset | | | | * Head to a beach where you'll find some of the |
| mode. You can use this for sunrises too. Sunset | | | | best sunset pictures. Here you can see the sun |
| mode automatically sets the white balance to keep | | | | setting over the horizon, and your pictures will also |
| its color balance warm. Sunset mode also helps the | | | | get the benefits of the colorful reflections off the |
| camera use the best focus and exposure (with no | | | | water. Other great places are the prairie or the |
| flash) for this type of image. | | | | desert where you can see the horizon and have |
| * None of these apply to your camera? Use | | | | extra color from the dust in the air. |
| Landscape mode or auto, and then use photo editing | | | | This is all you need for succeeding at sunset |
| software to adjust the white balance to reflect the | | | | photography so start using these tips and you'll be |
| brilliant colors you saw. | | | | happily surprised at the beautiful sunset pictures you'll |
| * You may also want to experiment with different | | | | capture. |