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Sunset Photography for Beginners

The art of photography has its secrets and techniques, and like all kinds of art it has its own subdivisions. Sunset photography is one of the many variants of this art, and despite the fact that photography techniques are universal for all types of styles, there are certain tips and recommendations that are more appropriate for each style.

Below we will tell you the best tips and recommendations to achieve the best sunset photos even if you are a beginner.

The best Tips for Photographing a stunning Sunset

A fundamental piece of advice is planning. Many times we manage to take wonderful spontaneous photographs, but if you want an exceptional result, planning it will be much better. You must know the place where you will take the photograph, know the time of sunset, and the existence of particularities of the area.

In addition to the obviousness of having a good camera, it is advisable to take this type of photos with a tripod to avoid any type of imperfections in the final result caused by involuntary movements.

As for the settings of the camera itself, the following are recommended:

Manual mode
Small aperture (ideally an f/16). This gets the entire landscape in focus.
Slow shutter speed. This allows a large input of light to compensate for the small input of the lens.
Flash off.
Autofocus.
White balance. The cloudy or shadow option will give the best results.
Use RAW format, preferably, to later have greater possibilities when editing the photographs.

These settings must be configured in advance, since sunset is a moment that happens very quickly, and wasting time making settings could cause us to miss the opportunity to take the picture.

It is also important to keep in mind that the sun does not necessarily have to be the protagonist of the photograph. Actually, the sun is the element that gives the visual effect and enhancement to the entire landscape.

Sunset brings beautiful colours

Although it’s tempting to want to put the sun in the middle of your composition, following the photography rule of thirds can help you get a better dynamic image. Leaving the sun to the left or right and placing the horizon in the lower or upper third of the image is ideal.

It should be borne in mind that the clouds help us to see how wonderful the sunset will be. Cloud masses do not perform as well in composition as high, scattered clouds. The irregularity in the clouds causes that they all receive some light individually, giving a better appearance in the final result.

In addition to the elements that can be part of our composition such as trees, boats, people or animals, it is a great idea to look for surfaces that have a reflection such as a river or the sea, to include the symmetries in the image.

The moment after sunset brings very beautiful colours that change minute by minute. You can take advantage of taking some excellent photographs if you don’t feel anxious and stay a moment longer after the sun goes down.

All these are the basic tips, so you can dive into the world of sunset photography. But the best of all advices, is practice, as you take more and more sunset photos you will perfect your style and find your own tricks to obtain a satisfactory final result.