Sunset Photography Tips: How to Take the Perfect Sunset or Sunrise Shot

 

Sunsets and sunrises have been inspiring man since the dawn of time.  There is something profound about this daily birth and death that has inspired religious devotion, writers, poets, philosophers, artists and photographers to document its incredible effect on the sky and landscape by painting the world in a thousand colors each morning and evening.

Almost magically, what we are photographing is merely an optical illusion.  When we see the sun rise it has still not really risen and when we see it start dip below the horizon it departed 8 minutes earlier. Sunrise and sunset produce an illuminated re-imagining of the world, painting familiar objects in deep reds and golds and, more than this, for those few, brief moments at the beginning and end of the day we get to look directly at the object most responsible for all of the life we have the fortune to photograph throughout the day.  In those dying remains of the day the sun provides some great photographic opportunities as it almost melts into the horizon, sometimes providing the familiar omega shape.

Photography and sunsets go well together because, through this medium, we get to share any sunrise or sunset with others, each one being unique.  Often they will remind us of being calm or represent some romantic moment in our lives.  It's very rare that almost everybody won't, at some point in their lives, be inspired to point a camera at the sun's first or last moments a s a souvenir of a (usually) good memory.  Even looking at just the photograph of a beautiful sunrise can make us feel calmer.

Plan Ahead

Sunset/Sunrise photography can sometimes be a spontaneous and yield magnificent results, but there's also a lot to be said about planning ahead. I personally like to scout out a location BEFORE the sunset/sunrise has occurred so I can pick out a good spot to take photos. It's a good idea to guesstimate where the sun will be setting/rising so you can "pre-compose" your image.

It's also a good idea to keep a close eye on the weather too. If it's cloudy, you won't likely have a sunset. The BEST sunset images are often when the perfect mix of startling cloud formations combine with a rich sunset/sunrise. You can't control nature, but you can try and hedge your bets. So keep an eye on the weather -- if it looks like the sky is going to be too cloudy, you might want to move your shot to another day.

Remember that weather reporting isn't foolproof and sometimes it's worth taking the weather report with a pinch of salt and getting out, because although the prediction may be for bad weather, it can often turn into the most perfect opportunity to take a photograph.  Even without a visible sunrise, the increased warmth produces low mists and morning dew.  If the sun happens to peek through the cloud just for a moment, then the results can be spectacular.  So plan but also find time to be spontaneous occasionally.

Finding The Right Location

The best place to begin is the place nearest your own home and an area that you know well.  There is no point travelling 30 or 40 miles if you are just starting out photographing sunrises and sunsets, so do  plenty of experimentation nearby and learn how long it takes you to set up and which filters  and lenses are best suited to the job.   The exception is, of course, is if you live in a valley and are surrounded by highly elevated areas or buildings, in which case, get up to your highest point or the point with the least hindered view of the horizon. But don't be too concerned if the horizon is obscured by a few degrees of land elevation.  The most dramatic skies are usually as the sun sets in the west, whereas the rising sun has a more languid tranquillity because early moisture tends to soften the landscape.

The most obvious way to find a good location for sunrise or sunset photos is to stumble upon them accidentally but there's no harm in just going out with a simple compass and getting off the beaten track a little to scout out good locations.  The most obvious place to look is along coastal regions and rural, inland landscapes.  Coastal sunrises and sunsets provide a large amount of variation because of the reflectivity of the water.  Of course, the main reason why sunsets taken on the coast are popular is because there is nothing to obscure the view of the sunset.  Inland water can have equally stunning results so lakes, salt-marshes, flood plains etc. can all provide great light reflection and add atmospheric interest.

Look for areas that might provide you with some foreground interest or objects that might silhouette well.  It's a good idea to look at areas with a high degree of depth because sunrises and sunsets exaggerate this.  As the sun rises higher into the sky each layer of depth such as hills and undulating fields become flatter and flatter.  The sun, at its lowest point, creates far greater definition so try to make the most of this. Even though clear mornings and evenings can be great, you will get some truly dazzling results if there is some atmospheric disturbance .  Cloud is the most obvious example because the tiny water molecules refract the full spectrum of color.  Also try getting to areas where you know there to be an increased amount of atmospheric pollution; perhaps close to heavily built up areas or areas where there is a high volume of traffic because the pollutants in the atmosphere can produce stunning results, providing intense purples, blues and greens as well as the usual pink and amber tones. Whether you wish to avoid or include vapor trails can all be planned for by finding areas of low aeroplane traffic density. 

Finally, it is more common to try to capture these times of day in an idyllic setting and there is no denying that these settings often do create stunning photographs but if you are close to an industrial heartland then perhaps it might be worth taking advantage of the smoke, steam, pollution and architectural shapes, juxtaposing the romance of the sunset with dark, industrial, man-made obscuration.

I personally travel to exotic locations around the world, locations that are stunning to shoot no matter what time of the day. But when you combine a stunning locale WITH the perfect clouds and the perfect sunset/sunrise, you can't take a bad photo. But you don't have to go to exotic countries to take amazing sunset/sunrise shots -- there's plenty of opportunities in your own area -- you just need to keep an eye out for them.

Quick Pointers for Sunrise/Sunset

  • Be at the location an 30 minutes to 60 minutes before the sunset to set up your gear/scout a location
  • Scout out the location beforehand to FIND the perfect sunset shooting spot
  • If you can, get out in the country and find an idyllic/rural setting -- these usually make for a more exotic sunset/sunrise
  • Use a mobile app (or the internet) to give you the exact time of sunset/sunrise in your location

Lenses to Use for Sunset/Sunrise Photography

Personally I like to use a Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra-Wide Angle Lens for a number of reasons.  Firstly, the lens coating helps a great deal with reducing or eliminating any flare and second, it is dust and moisture proof . Moisture can be a big problem early in the morning or as the sun is setting so whatever lens you use allow it to 'breathe' in a dry space as soon as you get back to base. Blow any residual dust or grit from your lenses and bag if you have been near the beach.

Making the Sun the Dominant Part of the Image

Lenses like the one mentioned above are great if you want to capture the effects of the sun on its surroundings using a wider angle but of you want to make a feature of the sun itself then it's best to shoot with something upwards of 200mm.  The reason for this is because the sun  is only a very small object.  Although a wide angle lens will let you see more of what the sun does, only a longer lens will allow you to see the circular, orange disc with any degree of dominance in the photograph.. Nonetheless, any decent lens you have available should produce a result you are proud of as long as the shot is well thought through and executed.  If you can, try to take a selection of lenses covering every focal distance from 14mm right up to 500mm so you have the possibility of shooting the sun or the sunset in a variety of ways.

Capturing Open Expanse

If you're goal is to photograph the sun setting over the sea, field, or mountain range, you might want to opt for a wide angle lens. Your image will look more dramatic. The lens will depend on if you have a full frame camera or not. Crop cameras magnify the image while Full Frame cameras do not. If you have a FF camera, you'll want to look at using 14mm or higher (ultra wide angle).

Best Canon Lens for FF Wide Angle Landscapes

  • 14mm f.2.8L
  • 14-17mm f4L
  • 16-35mm 2.2.8L

Best Canon Lens for Crop Camera Wide Angle Landscapes

  • 10-22mm

Lens Flare

Obviously, the sun is going to be in almost direct line of sight to the lens so flare is a common problem.  A cheap UV filter will only make this problem worse so opt for high quality.  The best way to avoid flare other than quality optics is to either make sure the camera is in shade or, better still, use a lens hood.  Make sure the lens is clean because any grease or dust will also cause flare and aberrations.

Lens Focus

In most cases you will be using a smaller aperture, usually smaller than  f11.  The camera may have some difficulty in focussing in such varied and excessively confusing light conditions.  Not so bad if you are focussing to infinity but with objects in the mid-ground you may want to try  focussing manually.  Any glare from behind you should be fairly minimal so make the most of the live view screen to help with this

Lens Pointers

  • Prime Lenses deliver more quality (but lack zoom)
  • Use Ultra Wide lenses to capture an expansive space (an open field, the sun setting over the sea, looking down from a mountain towards the setting sun)
  • To capture the sun as a dominate part of the photograph (i.e. it's HUGE), you'll need to use a telephoto lens 200mm+. The longer the lens, the bigger the sun will be in the picture.
  • Use GRAD Filters to help control the contrasting conditions present during sunsets -- this is pretty much required if you don't opt for HDR photography
  • Avoid cheap UV filters or remove your UV filter to reduce or eliminate flare

 

Sunset/Sunrise Composition Techniques

Everyone with a camera, whether it's a basic point and shoot or a top class DSLR will, at some point, try to photograph a sunrise or sunset. But it is what you choose to include of the surrounding landscape that will place the event in some sort of context, lending some scale and depth to the image. This, coupled with practised technical ability, will make your image stand apart from the rest.

Let sky be the dominant part of the scene and keep the sun off-centre

Remember one rule: the SKY is what a sunset or sunrise photo is all about, so make that the primary focus of your shot. You don't want to cut the sky out and focus mostly on the foreground in these kind of shots. It helps to keep the sun off-center in many cases, though IF the sun is what you are focusing on, you might opt for the classic sun-in-the-center type shot too. 

Include the Use of a Silhouette as an Foreground Object of Interest

One popular technique is to include a strong silhouette for sunset photography. This creates a dramatic contrast between the bright orange sky, the burning sun, and the dark image. Silhouette's are popular when taking sunsets over the ocean (you might have a sailboat as a silhouette, for example).

If you are using silhouetted foreground elements then keep them in balance with the position of the sun by remembering basic compositional rules.  Try not to allow one side the composition to be too heavily biased.  Similarly try not to have the line of the horizon too near to the centre of the image. 

Be prepared for changes in the light because some of the best effects may occur as a small cloud or flock of birds pass briefly across the sun or surrounding sky.

Rule of thirds

This is a basic composition rule, but you should keep it in mind when shooting sunsets or sunrises -- the rule still applies. There are a number of landscape composition techniques that go very well with sunset/sunrise photography.

General Sunrise/Sunset Composition Tips

To ensure that you are getting as much detail as possible from elements in the fore and mid-ground try pushing the aperture as high as you dare. Be aware, however, that this will force slower and slower shutter speeds so if clouds are moving or there is any other type of organic movement this will end up blurred or ghosting and bracketed shots will differ to such an extent that they will become useless later on. But don't just look out towards where the sun is setting or rising. Take a good 360 degree view of your surroundings for other shots and continue to do this throughout the shoot because the lighting will change from second to second during the time you are there.  Take a flash because there may be foreground elements you wish to be more apparent, rather than the usual muted tones or complete silhouette.  The writing on a sign, for example, that could have added something to the context or important textures could be lost due to poor key lighting so it is always worth packing a flash for for this reason.

Sunrise/Sunset Exposure Techniques

Exposure is key if you want to get a good sunset/sunrise image. If your exposure is off, the sky will be faded or the foreground too dark.

Turn Off Auto White Balance

If your sunsets and sunrises are not being faithfully represented by your photographs, or if they are not conveying what you want them to convey then the issue can often be that the camera is in Auto White Balance mode.  Experiment with the white balance using the available pre-sets.  The pre-set for a cloudy environment will pick out the golds and ambers more effectively.  If you want to generate some colder, more dramatic tones for a sunrise then some of the pre-sets used for indoor lighting can produce great results.  You can even use the white balance setting for flash photography which will help to pick out colors at the red end of the spectrum. With most DSLR's it is possible to bracket the white balance so that you can take upwards of 3 shots with the color. bias different for each.  When you have the correct color. balance then choose this and work your exposure settings around it.

Shoot Different Exposures

There's a lot of contrasting light when it comes to sunsets and sunrises. Don't take a single exposure, USE multiple exposures -- you up your chances of getting the best shot you can.

Use the Auto Bracketing Feature

Many DSLR cameras have an auto bracketing feature. These can be set to automatically shoot 3 (or more) shots at different exposures. The classic exposure setting is to shoot at -2 exposure, 0 (balanced) exposure, and +2 exposure. Note you will NEED to use a tripod. You can also use the 3 different exposures to do an HDR photo of that same shot.

Use Graduated Neutral Density Filters to Control the Contrasting Light

If you want to take good sunset and sunrise shots where BOTH the foreground and sky are balanced, you are going to need to invest in a good set of GND filters. These filters slip over the camera lens and block the light from specific parts of the composition (depending on how you put the filters over the lens) which allow you to expose for the foreground while still retaining a vivid sky.

Typically, you will want to go with a grad filter that can hold back between 2-4 stops of light. This can really give you some dramatic sunset shots. There is even a special sunset/sunrise grad filter called the Reverse Grad Filter which is perfect for when the sun is exactly on the horizon.

There's a good tutorial on LandscapePhotography.org on How to Use Grad Filters that you should read.

Use HDR Photography to Capture a Balanced Sunset/Sunrise

If you don't have Grad filters, you can use HDR to create a balanced image from the composite of 3 or more images, taken at different exposures. You will need a tripod, a DSLR with the Auto Bracketing Feature. We'll have a tutorial on HDR photography shortly.

Panoramas and Sunset/Sunrise Photography

The sky is vast that sometimes it can be hard to know what to leave out, so sunrises and sunsets are the perfect opportunity to create incredible panoramas.  If you are not including a lot of complicated shapes in the foreground then there should be no problem with parallax errors and as a result, less chance of ghosting or going wrong.  Cropped sensor cameras may not get as much width as a full frame so even shooting two exposures as a panorama should make up for this. By using a tripod with a no-parallax point such as the Node Ninja then you can stitch together images on both the vertical and horizontal axis and get 180 degrees of view in both directions.

Finally, try to enjoy something of the time you are out taking the shot and soak up a little of the place you are.  Don't just end up with a great sunrise or sunset photograph but attach it to the memory of being there. Planning to take a sunset is a great chance to really get to grips with some of the camera's more obscure or less used settings so enjoy the process and good luck. 

Other Sunset/Sunrise Photography Tips

Use Filters

Getting a good exposure setting is tricky because of the stark lighting contrast between the sky and the land so using an graduated neutral density filter should help you to find more subtle mid-tones in the sky for metering the exposure.  In most other situations a soft graduated filter is called for but if you are photographing sunsets or sunrises and using the full horizon in the composition then it's a good time to pull out the hard ND filter as the delineation on the filter will be less noticeable.
Make sure the lens has a good quality UV filter to prevent flare and damage.  

Also try experimenting with salmon, orange and amber filters to bring out the most in the sky.  At sunrise try a blue or graduated blue filter, especially if there is mist or fog, to help bring out the coldness of the scene.  Polarizing filters will help to take some of the sting out of over-exposed areas of reflected water. If you want to use a polarizing filter AND use an ND filter but you don't have access to Cokin or Lee filters (or you don't want stack filters) then there is a solution in the form of a Singh-Ray 77mm Vari-N-Duo Polarizing Variable Neutral Density Filter.  A great filter but can cause some vignetting with super wide angle lenses.  Used well it can be great for sunrises and sunsets, especially on cropped frame cameras with long lenses when you are trying to make the sun's disc a big feature in the composition.

Use a Tripod

Using a good, sturdy tripod and  cable / remote release is essential.  Because you will be hoping to shoot at a low ISO (100/200) with a deep depth of field (usually above f11 but preferably higher) then you will be using a long exposure; most probably longer than 1/60th.  Because of this you need to reduce any possibility of vibration otherwise you will end up with a soft image.  Hand-holding for a good sunset is virtually impossible due to the reduced amount of ambient light and, preferably, you will be bracketing the exposure to around 1 stop of light either side of correct exposure to allow for the possibility of exposure fusion in post-production.  It's also important because if you are trying to capture the sun itself then you will probably be using a fairly long lens and so the extra support is important to account for the extra weight. Therefore,  keeping each shot perfectly still and composed is vital to reduce any possibility of ghosting during this process.

Use Software to Help Plan Your Shooting Conditions

It would be impossible to write anything about photographing these two natural phenomena without giving mention to the Photographer's Ephemeris software.  Despite being a fairly recent innovation, it is a simple idea and has quickly become an indispensable piece of software that’s the first point of reference for any photographer wishing to photograph the sun or the moon.  Prior to its development the first thing I would have written would be to emphasise the importance of  knowing when the sun sets or rises so you can plan your times for setting up a shot.  Now I would suggest that before you plan any sunset photography, install a copy on your machine or download as a mobile app.

http://photoephemeris.com/

The Ephemeris uses Google Maps as it's engine.  You can choose any location on the planet and the software will superimpose the direction of sunset, sunrise, moon-set and moon-rise for your location.  The Ephemeris will also give you precise times for setting and rising as well as other information, including latitude and longitude so that you can find your way to the area quickly and easily with GPS.  Because it uses Google Maps you can also get an idea of where shadows might fall on specific locations and buildings etc.. giving you all the info you need to plan your sunrise or sunset photography with military precision.

Don't Leave After Sun Goes Down

Sometimes, you can get some fantastic lighting AFTER the sun goes down (or just before the sun rises, in the case of sunrise photography). The sky might have a purple/magenta cast to it that can make for some stunning photos. Don't just lock yourself into only shooting when the sun is present.

Also, don't leave as soon as the sun has set because this is best opportunity to use extra long exposures.  You will be able to pick out remaining color. in the sky that may not even be visible to the eye, along  with a few stars.  You can also create an incredible soft billowing effect on water, especially water crashing around the base of rocks or flowing over them.

Think Safety

It seems pretty obvious but if the sun is causing you to squint then your camera sensor probably won't enjoy the experience either. Probably not a good idea to look directly through your viewfinder at it and be very cautious opening the shutter for any length of time.  Start the exposures conservatively and slowly step your way up to an acceptable level of light.