Sunset photography is a favourite subject any time of the year. The rich colours, dramatic lighting and strong shapes they offer can produce stunning shots. Your focal length setting and choice of viewpoint will make a big difference to the picture. A quickly grabbed wide-angle shot might capture the broadest area of sky but won’t necessarily give you the best composition. A longer focal length and a more carefully chosen viewpoint can produce a much more effective result. The sun will be bigger in the frame and you’ll have more control over the shapes and silhouettes appearing in your sunset photography. But what to do if you do not have your longer length lens with you? You change your positioning, composition or angle to shoot. I love moving around, shooting from a different height perspective. Your ISO is hugely important and will change if you have a tripod. I like to use a low ISO with a tripod at sunset or sunrise. Tilting your camera can give you a new perspective with your sunset subject.
Making the colours in your landscapes warmer can be a simple matter of changing the white balance on your camera from Daylight to Cloudy or Shade. The sky can act as a giant reflector so be careful when setting your white balance. Use centre weight metering for those important sunset images. It is more influenced by large open areas of sky. And by all means wear comfortable shoes! You will be standing or moving about for awhile capturing the sun orbit the earth.
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