Sunrises and sunsets are two of my favorite theme subjects. Wherever I travel, I make it a point to be in position and ready to shoot at both times of day. That usually involves scouting places ahead of time so you are in place when the magic light happens.
Putting something in the foreground presents a sense of scale. Due to the fact that your subject is a silhouette in sunset snapshots, it’s got to be identified on shape alone. Mountains and their unique, triangular shape are my favorite. Other usable forms are trees, lakes, buildings, lighthouses, ships, boats, cityscapes and regular folks. For a touch of romance, a hand-holding couple will do the trick.
Sunrises
To shoot a sunrise, don’t take a meter reading with your TTL meter if the sun’s in the viewfinder. To the right or the left of the sun is where you want it taken. To have the sun appear big, utilize at least a 200-mm lens.
Sunrises make warm colors, defined shadows and vivid textures. A couple of clouds provide drama to a sunset/sunrise, in addition to color. Clouds give off blue/pink colors during these swell moments of the day. A nice picture chance is shooting a rising sun against the mountain, with said mountain’s reflection in a body of water. Normally, bodies of water are quiet during sunrise, thus creating sweet reflection shots. If tiny ripples are on the water’s surface, it’s going to make an impressionistic-type shot, creating yet another awesome production.
If you’re shooting prior to sunrise, utilize a white balance setting of cloudy if you hate a bluish-type cast on any digital pictures. At times, you’re going to have to communicate the mood as it was in the moment.
Sunsets
Lots of the metering/silhouetting tips are equal. Still, though, what follows are sunset-focused picture-taking tips. Sunset light’s grander in color and more orange than sunrise light. If you’re shooting post-sunset, meter specifically off the sky for an afterglow. You must work quickly if there’s an afterglow, though.
Post-sunset is the nicest time for shooting cityscapes because buildings’ lights have only come on. The west is going to still have a bit of light left. The building lights/mauve backgrounds provide a swell digital picture. Meter right off the sky. With a sensor reading of ISO one-hundred, any meter readings ought to be near 1/30 at f4.
When shooting sunrise/sunsets, depend on the aforementioned digital-photography advice for spectacular pictures. Sunrises/sunsets require little effort to snap, and the pictures can be amazing. It also prompts you to relish the dramatic presentation that nature puts on two times per day.
For photos that capture memories that last a life time visit Melanie Acker Photography at Senior Photography St Louis. or her blog at www.melanieackerphotography.com/blog. Melanie specializes in newborn, children, maternity, engaged couples & high school senior fine art portrait photography.