Have you ever been disappointed with your sunset photos? Do they lack color, drama and impact? Here are my quick tips for turning sunset snapshots into great shots.

        But first, a word about safety. Never look at the sun for a long time. You can damage your eyes. Extended exposure to bright, direct sunlight might not hurt a film camera's exposure sensor, but it can damage a digital sensor — especially the sensors in some consumer point-and-shoot digital cameras. Therefore, envision your picture, shoot, and then turn your camera away from the scene.

        OK, on to my tips:

        Timing. You'll get some spectacular colors just when the sun kisses the horizon and after it has finished its kiss. That's not to say that you can't get great shots before and after those magic moments. Therefore, be prepared with plenty of film or memory on your memory cards. You'll also need some time — because you'll want to capture the ever-changing colors in the sky, which can vary from second to second.

        Composition. An old saying, “Dead center is deadly” applies. In sunset photography, this means don't put the sun in the dead center of the frame. Rather, try placing it off-center. That technique, effective for most subjects, draws the viewer into the scene by forcing him or her to look around the frame.

        And speaking of deadly, try not to place the horizon line in the dead center of the frame. Place it low in the frame when the sky has lots of color, and high in the frame when the foreground is interesting, as is often the case when photographing sunsets over water.

        Foreground elements. A sky filled with spectacular colors is a great photographic subject. But place a dramatic foreground element in the scene, and you have a knockout photo. Trees and buildings are great sunset foreground elements, so are people and animals.

        Lenses. Photograph a sunset with a 24mm or 35mm lens and the sun will look like a small red or yellow dot in your picture. That might be OK, if the sky and foreground are interesting. Use a telephoto lens in the 300mm to 600mm range, and the sun will look like a huge ball of fire in your picture. A dramatic effect, indeed.

        Underexposing the scene. Underexpose the scene by at least one stop. Underexposing intensifies and saturates the colors — with digital as well as film. You can set you camera on “program” and your exposure compensation to 1, or even 2. If your camera does not have an exposure compensation mode, you can double the ISO setting (ISO 100 becomes ISO 200).

        Film. For sunsets, I recommend ISO 100 film for before the sun has set, and ISO 200 for twilight shots. Also, have more film on hand than you think you'll need, several rolls of each. With ISO 100 and 200 film, you'll be prepared to take pictures of the entire sunset sequence, only one of which, I've learned from years of experience, is the one that you will really like.

        Don't forget a tripod. A tripod will come in handy after the sun has set, when you want to get those low-light shots of a pastel-colored sky — pictures that require shooting at slow shutter speeds.

        Have fun. Don't get too caught up in the technical aspects of sunset shooting. After all, you're there to have fun. So enjoy the moment. And if your shot does not turn out the way you saw it in your mind's eye, remember that you can use Photoshop or other imaging programs to enhance the colors, contrast and exposure of your scene.

        ———

        Rick Sammon is the host of the Digital Photography Workshop on the Do It Yourself (DIY) cable and satellite network.

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