Feb 26
Photo tips #6: Sunsets and foreground
You might wonder why I’m always going on about sunsets. Well, I think that sunsets are quite simply amazing. But those really spectacular sunsets are rare because they require very special circumstances to happen. The most colourful sunsets take place when there is scattered cloud with a gap right where the sun goes down so that the sun can light up the clouds from below. Another way to get colour in your sunset image is to do the opposite - photograph a cloudless sunset to get a gradient of colour. But whatever the sky looks like, you shouldn’t forget the foreground. A fantastic sky is one thing, but you can rarely pull off an image with nothing but the sky in it. Allow me to illustrate.
In image #1, it was a cloudless sky. This is an opportunity to go for the sunburst effect by using a small aperture. You still get nice colour in the sky after the sun has gone down, and you can saturate the colours by underexposing the image. Compare #1 & #2, where #2 is taken a few minutes after #1 so realistically, it should be darker as the light starts to fade. But I increased the shutter speed to make the image lighter so that #2 is close to reality. It is a matter of taste which you prefer - sometimes you just have to choose between artistic and realistic.
Image #3 is an example of “close but no cigar”. This would have worked just fine otherwise, but right at the horizon there is a bank of clouds which shut out the sun so that couldn’t light up the scattered clouds above.
Image #4 is what I’m really looking for. Spectacular orange hues in the fluffy clouds lit by a sun that was already below the horizon. The image is from 2002 which seemed to be a good winter for sunsets. It is still the best sunset image I have, but I haven’t given up on seeing this colour behind the three pines in the image series above…
I mentioned the foreground earlier and it is important enough to be mentioned again. Compare #4 to #5 - it’s the same sunset. Yes the colour is fabulous, but don’t you think that something is missing?
When great things happen at sunset, they are not going to last for long so you have to be ready. When you move about, keep an eye out for potential foreground you can use in conjunction with sunrises, sunsets, full moon etc. The right light fades so quickly that often your best bet is to stake out your selected spot, set up your gear, wait and hope for the best. If you look out your window and see great light, it will be gone by the time you are ready to photograph it. I don’t even want to think about the times I have failed to follow my own advice…
Cool… really. Wish I can shoot as you do. Those pics at my blog ain’t gonna be comparable to your standards.
But I ain’t a photographer that is.
But… these two pics are really good in my personal non-professional view…
I like #4, awesome colors.