Just about anyone these days has a camera of some sort. Even if it is only the one that is built into your mobile phone and it is more than likely that you will have it in your pocket, your handbag, backpack or around your neck at any given time of day.
So you have the ability to take snapshots of whatever you are confronted with, as you wend your way through each and every day.
They may be shots of School friends, work mates, the new family car or just of the family itself. You may even be putting together a family history and taking lots of photos of the little ones to record the progression of their varied, busy and complicated little lives.
It just so happens that I have a chapter devoted to photographing children. Please see: “Can you cut it with the kids”.
Anyway, perhaps the two most common subjects photographed today, would in fact be, “the kids” or “sunsets“. And let me tell you, “No two subjects could be further apart from each other, in my books!”
One can be full of stressful boisterousness, where at times, during a family shoot, you just have no idea where to turn, so you simply give it all away and think, ‘Maybe tomorrow they will be better behaved.’ Tomorrow???
The other most commonly photographed subject, in case you’ve lost the plot already, are those sometimes serene and sensual, but sensational - “Sunsets”. Sunrises have the same appeal, but it is highly likely that unknowingly, a viewer will look on a sunrise photo and automatically accept it as a sunset, so “Sunsets” are what we will refer to, as there is little difference in the actual photographing of either.
There are literally millions of sunsets photographed throughout the world every day.
“I know, I know, there is only one sunset per day, but you know what I mean!”
And nearly everyone of those millions feels that their sunset photo is better than anyone else’s. Why? Because they get swept up and carried away with the moment, the colour and the emotion brought on by such a spectacle. But the average sunset photographs, in my opinion are two a penny. In other words, you will not get a winning sunset photo unless yours is very different and you really work at it. And, have the right equipment, of course!
The main thing is not to get simply swept up by the moment. You may just get lucky on the night, but chances are, without organizing and planning your shoot, it will turn out just as drab as all the others.
So here’s what you need to do…..
If you live or are on holiday by the sea and when you stand on the beach, you are facing an Easterly or Westerly direction, the possibilities are fairly high that you will get a reasonable sunset or sunrise at some time or other, but it is not “just” the sunset that we are concerned with here.
Have you ever wondered why your sunset photos lack lustre? Perhaps it is a possibility that they are simply not interesting enough! They need something else. They need a focal point or a point of interest, other than just the setting sun.
Equipment:
You don’t really need a special camera to take reasonably good sunset photos, but at least one that will allow you to use it in low light situations.
If you own a SLR type camera and you can interchange your lenses, then the faster the lens the better, but if you just have the standard zoom that came with the camera, that is okay too. But I would work on aperture priority and set the aperture to about f8 or f11. Depending on what you want or don’t want in focus.
You will also need something to stabilize your camera in those conditions. A good sturdy tripod would be excellent, a remote shutter release would also be an asset, but not essential. You can always use the camera’s timer facility to reduce the possibility of camera movement.
A small pocket torch would also be handy and some spare (pre-charged) batteries for both camera and torch.
Go for a stroll along the beach. Take a note of anything that could be used for an interesting foreground.
For example, an outcrop of rocks, sand dunes, that odd shaped Palm tree, anything at all that might draw or attract interest.
It would be a good idea at this point to also have prior knowledge of where on the horizon the sun is likely to set. I always have a compass with me for such occasions.
Once you have found what you would like to add as your foreground feature, stand behind it, as you would be behind your camera and try to visualize what it will look like, half silhouetted, in the dimming light before (and after) sunset.
If you are satisfied that is how you want your photos to look, and keeping that picture in mind, you are ready to start taking photos. And after finding out what time the sunset will be, you must plan to be set-up and ready at least an hour before that time. Of course, during that time, you will not be idle. It gives you breathing space to make subtle alterations and adjustments to your position and practice various shots in the diminishing light, working up to when the sun finally starts to fall on the horizon. At this point turn around and look behind you. At how the light has suddenly changed your surroundings. You are very likely to find some great shots there too. Most times folks are so involved with what’s happening in front of them that they don’t even think to look and see what is happening behind them. And it's not time to pack up yet, there are many more photo opportunities to be had even after the sun has actually set.
Now you can plan to go out and do it all again the following morning and there will probably be some things you thought about that you should have put into practice during the sunset that you can now put to good use in the sunrise.
All this planning and organizing provides you with a readiness and the confidence to get out there and carry out the shoot. With that in mind and the right equipment, the job is as good as done.
For some examples of my sunsets please "Home Grown Sunsets"
Here's a tip:
If your camera is sophisticated enough to have a spot meter facility, at the highlight of your sunset and you really want a top shot, take a spot meter for the brightest part of the sky that does not include the sun and reset those meter readings into your camera and recompose the shot.
Please see Adjustable metering modes
Back to Home Page
