Sunsets and sunrises ... The photographer’s most beautiful colours are made by nature. No matter where you are in the world, we know that sunsets will always capture the beauty of a place and a moment.
9 Photography Tips for Shooting Sunsets and Sunrises
1. Be Early
One of the first photography tips that is imperative for any sort of sunset or sunrise shoot is making sure to arrive on time. Arriving a solid 45 mins before the sun even starts rising or setting allows you to have the time to set up everything and get yourself settled.
2. Use a wide-angle lens
A wide-angle lens is any landscape photographer’s best friend, but it is also generally the most used for sunset/sunrise photos. They can capture the widest amount of the surrounding area in your photos, this allows you to capture the sky, the sun and everything in between super easily.
3. The Sun Doesn't Need to be the Focus
Even though it may seem like the sun should be the star of the show, it doesn't need to be the focus of your photo. Some of the best sunrise and sunset pictures are focused on the surrounding objects and landscapes.
4. Lens Flare
Lens flare can be but isn’t always a landscape photographers’ worst enemy. If you are wanting to avoid lens flare using a lens hood can be an active solution as well as adjusting your perspective until the sun is out of frame. Lens flare is typically not wanted when you are trying to achieve sharpness in your photo. In some moments though, lens flare might become your best friend, as it can add a lot of interest and atmosphere to a shot that could have otherwise been dull, it also sometimes creates the dreamiest shots!
Watch for more in an upcoming blog about lens flare!
5. Know Your Location Beforehand
Both sunrise and sunsets need to be done very quickly, as we all know they sadly don’t last very long. It’s important to know your location beforehand because nothing is worst than missing half the sunset. After all, you are stuck in traffic or searching around for an ideal spot.
6. Choose a Low to Mid-Range ISO
As the sun is setting or rising, there is less light available for you to shoot, using a low to mid-range ISO setting of 200-400 will give you more opportunity for setting your aperture and shutter speed exactly how you want without losing any quality to your image.
7. Focus Manually
Even with today’s advanced autofocus on cameras, sometimes the sun’s intense lighting can cause your autofocus to struggle. A good tip to avoid this is by setting your camera on manual focus so you can be sure that you get a perfectly sharp shot.
8. Try Different Perspectives
The number one tip for shooting during sunset/sunrises is to be creative and try as many different perspectives. For example, if you are shooting reflection shots where the weather isn’t perfectly still, try to get as low as possible. Another example is by getting close to the water you can create some cool bokeh. Sunset/sunrises are the picture-perfect moments to be creative!
9. Stay After Sunset
Last but not least, try to always stay after sunset is done as some of the most beautiful and gentle light can happen once the sun has hidden. Bonus… if you stay after sunset you might be able to get some quick shots of blue hour which happens about 30 minutes after.
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