Feature: Photograph a Sunset, Part 1

I read a statistic recently that said sunsets are the single most commonly photographed subjects. I don't doubt it; as I peer into the mailbag, I find that this week alone I have eight sunset photos competing for the Hot Pic of the Week prize.

Since so many of us are shooting sunsets, I thought it might be fun to talk about how to get a good sunset shot, and to use Hot Pic entries as examples. So this week and next, we'll discuss the nuts and bolts of sunset photography--and see some readers' photos along the way.

Timing Is Everything

In theory, sunsets should be easy to photograph for one very simple reason: We always know exactly what time they will occur. That lets you plan ahead, get there early, and capture the magic moment. And if at first you don't succeed, you can always go back and try again the next day. Need to know the exact time of sunset? There are several ways to find out, but you might want to consult the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Just enter the day you want to know about and specify your location, or a city nearby (the site has a lot of locations in its database, but not every small town).

There are two things about timing to consider when planning your sunset photo. First, the exact time the sun sets, the moment that the sun drops below the horizon, depends upon your local landscape. In other words, sunset might come earlier than the published time if the sun is blocked by mountains before it has a chance to reach the horizon. Second, you have a quite generous time period in which to take sunset photos. The sky starts looking interesting as the sun approaches the horizon, and continues to look pretty cool for a short time after the sun goes down. In practice, I've found that this adds up to a half hour or so of usable shooting time.

Your photos can range from very early sunsets, like the sublime "Sentinel Tree" by Michael Bale of Wheeling, Illinois, to late sunsets like "Still Reflection" by Justin Agoglia of Huntington, New York.

Notice that the sky is far more dramatically red in the second photo, where the sun has reached the horizon. So here's a plan for your next sunset photography session: Relax, enjoy the scenery, and take a couple of pictures every few minutes so you can capture the changing light over the course of 15 or 30 minutes. Sunsets change quickly, and you are sure to get some very different results by continuing to take pictures.

In fact, waiting can make all the difference in the world, as the sun drops through the sky and peeks through different clouds. Consider "Angelic Sunset" by Wes Singletary of Indian Shores, Florida. Wes managed to capture not only some gorgeous light rays piercing the clouds, but also a lone bird flying through the scene. Getting a shot like this no doubt took some patience.

That's a look at timing your sunset shots, but there's a lot more to discuss. I'll continue next week, with information about camera exposure and white balance settings, plus everything you need to know to compose a good sunset photo.