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Sunset shots are the superstars of travel photography. Don’t believe me? Watch the faces of your friends and family as they flip through your vacation pics. When does their face light up?
No other subject has quite the same power to elicit “oohs” and “aahs.” It’s primordial. Everyone loves a gorgeous palette of colour sprayed across the sky. So, if you are flying south this winter, why not concentrate your efforts on shooting a real winner?
ALL SUNSETS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL
Atmospheric conditions—specifically haze, humidity and cloud cover—change every day and have a huge effect on the panoply of colours in the sky. To get a great sunset shot, you need to be fully prepared in advance of this magical time. An easy way to make sure you never miss the main event is to wait for the sun to kiss the horizon on your first vacation day, then set an alarm for yourself (on your watch, cellphone or mental clock) that’ll give you at least half an hour to grab your gear and get set up.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Where you shoot your sunset from is crucial.
Look for water; reflections of the sky tend to magnify grandeur. A west-facing shore is obviously best, but east-facing will also do as those clouds often catch a lot of colour. Next, consider foreground. A plain shot out to sea is boring. You need something to capture context; to frame the colours of the sky. Consider palm trees, rocky outcrops or a weathered dock. You can always ask a friend (or maybe a stranger) to stand along the shoreline.
EXPOSURE IS THE KEY
You must expose correctly for the sky and clouds (your highlights) to get vibrant colours and render everything else (carefully framed in the foreground) as a silhouette. The problem is that your point-and-shoot wants to expose the foreground subjects, which will leave the sky washed out and white.
To get by this, turn the flash off. Depress the shutter release halfway with the camera pointed towards the sky and nothing in the foreground. This locks in exposure for the sky. (An alternative for advanced shooters is to spot-meter the brightest part of sky at +1.0 eV in manual mode.) Now move the camera to include your silhouettes in the foreground, being careful to keep the shutter release depressed halfway. When you are ready, press the shutter release all the way and take your masterpiece.
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