Manhattanhenge in New York
Sunset photos are one of the few topics that compete in popularity on social media with images of pets and babies. . But photos taken in the last rays of the sun can also have personality. We show you how.
1. How and when do I photograph a sunset? There are especially good destinations to photograph sunsets, but the most important thing is that you choose the right moment. As amazing as it may seem to you to see the Taj Mahal bathed in golden light, it may be a major disappointment if you find it under a leaden sky. It is not nonsense that before traveling to a specific place where you want to see great sunsets, you inform yourself of the best times to do so. Needless to say, summer is usually a safe bet.
A nearby place (and despite everything quite unknown) to start exercising when photographing sunsets is Basin . This city has one of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in Spain and one of its great attractions is seeing the twilight from the old part from the city. If you dare to get closer with your camera, the best place to see them is the Castillo neighborhood, the highest point in the city.
Wherever you go you must know exactly in which direction and at what time the sun sets. Keep in mind that the differences are greater than we might think: in the Iberian Peninsula the sun hides depending on where we are up to 45 minutes apart . To know this information, nothing better than the free tool ** The photographer's ephemeris **. Available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows it allows us to know exactly where and when the sun rises and sets on a given day in a given place.
two. What is the best time to take photos during sunset? One of the best things about enjoying a sunset is seeing how quickly the light changes until nightfall. If we are in a city, probably one of the best times to push the button is right when the artificial lights are on but the sunlight is still intense. The combination of artificial and natural light is almost always irresistible.
3. Phenomena that you should take advantage of. If the day is sunny but a storm is coming, you should try to take advantage of that light, because it is one of the best you can find. One of the reasons why sunset photos are so attractive is because the light is more diffused than during the day. A storm roaming the sky causes its dark clouds to enhance this phenomenon. If you are very lucky and it starts to rain, you may even catch a rainbow. Wet asphalt is a great resource to experiment with the mirror effect , a combination that will make your photos look interesting.
Four. do i use flash? The flash is a great ally of the photographer who works with the last rays of the sun, since he often faces backlighting that artificial light can alleviate. Also helps enhance color saturation and contrast. Its use is almost essential if we want to make portraits during the twilight. Of course, it is convenient not to go overboard with the power of the flash.
with flash, we can save the famous HDR (high dynamic range technique), since usually brings very artificial results . In any case, if your camera has an HDR function quickly with two or three burst shots, it is worth doing some testing in case the results with flash do not convince you.
5. Do I use a tripod? If you want to capture even the last rays of the sun that can be seen during twilight, you can use a bright lens, a camera that behaves well working with high sensitivities, a monopod, or all three at the same time. Note that in most situations the tripod can be a hindrance and the monopod the key so that a photo does not come out blurred if there is little light. It weighs much less and you can use it in many more situations.