Sunsets make for beautiful backgrounds and subjects for photography. Even when they’re not colorful and majestic, they still create a lovely change in lighting, which can make boring scenes look suddenly magical.
However, sunsets can also prove frustrating, especially for beginners. If a sunset is especially beautiful, it can be difficult to capture its beauty in an image. Here are some ideas and tips to help you overcome this problem and improve sunset photography.
Sunset PhotographyTips and Inspiration
These images are all from our community. ofBoth professional and amateur photographers are welcome. We had a SunsetWe were impressed by the responses to our Challenge asking for beautiful sunset images from everyone.
We’ve included images by established professionals in epic locations, as well as beginners in everyday settings, to show how you can use these tips regardless ofYour level and location ofExperience. You will find beautiful sunsets everywhere, urban or rural, in desert or rainforest.
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A tripod is a must.
Whenever you’re in a situation with low lighting, a tripod is nice to have along. A tripod is especially useful at the end. ofFor sunsets, your shutter should be open longer in order to achieve a good exposure. Without a tripod, you’ll likely end up with blurry photos from camera shake in this lighting. You can jerry-rig your tripod with stationary objects such as rocks or tables, but a tripod gives you greater flexibility.
Fabien Yetazzi – Georgia – The Black Sea, the Universe, and me 
Lori Gelinas 
Mike Fitzpatrick – Sun Flare 
Russell Becker – Traverse city Michigan 
Avi Shvartz 
You can go somewhere famous or beautiful.
The setting sun can create a beautiful backdrop for many interesting locations. Even if the sunset isn’t spectacular, it’ll create great lighting for the scene. Right before the sun sets, you’ll get perfect lighting during the Golden Hour, and then afterwards, you’ll have moody lighting during the Blue Hour. These two hours can make a beautiful or famous location look amazing.
Fabien Butazzi – Paris Sunset 
Tugba Soysal 
Ragnar TH Sigurdsson: Winter sunset, Geothermal Area steaming. Hrafntinnusker Central Highlands. Iceland 
Rachel Reed Dushoff 
Ahmad Syukaery Sunset at Waijarang Beach, Lembata 
Keep your eyes on the clouds.
You can capture a dramatic sunset by waiting for clouds to form. Although you can still get a pretty sunset sky without clouds, it won’t have the same drama as a cloudy sky. That’s because clouds scatter the sunlight, showing off its rich colors. High- and mid-level clouds are ideal, as they will bring out the color. ofSunset is the best.
Ben – Monifieth Burning 
Simon Pratley 
stega60-BASEL 
Terence Rutter SunsetBeechworth, Victoria (actual colors – No color editing!) 
Greg Barnes – Wattle Grove, Western Australia 
Photograph the sunset above water
Another way to add drama is by using reflections ofA sunset photo. If you shoot over still water, the image will be doubled in size ofMake the sunset look even more spectacular by using this technique. This post contains more information about how to take reflection photos.
Roger Lee – Across False Bay from Gordon’s Bay, Cape Province, South Africa 
Ron Crosby, Beach near Auckland 
Frank Farrell, Liquid Gold on Sand 
Lynn Casden – SunsetReflection 
Jim Higgins, Key Largo (Florida) 
Aiden Mahoney – SunsetOver the Bay 
Look for a good silhouette.
Silhouettes make a great starting point when shooting sunsets. You can practice composition without worrying about underexposed backgrounds. Unlike with epic landscapes under a sunset sky, you won’t have to work with filters or exposure blending to get everything correctly exposed. The sunset and silhouette can be your focus, while the rest of the details can be learned later.
Kunal Khurana – A Holy Sunset 
S A Ramesh SunsetOver the Bay of Bengal 
Darren Wilkin – Whitby Sunset 
Kari Woollatt – Firey Evening 
Judy Hawkes from Mosman Camera Club (*55*)
Vince LaPoint – Rialto Beach WA 
Capture a cool sun flare.
Striking photos are possible ofSun flares occur when the sun sinks beneath the clouds or horizons, or when it peeks around your main subject. Try different aperture settings to get the best sun flare shots. A large aperture, such as f/5.6, will produce soft flares. However, a smaller aperture like the f/22 will produce sharper flares.
Ragnar Thor Sigurdsson – Winter sunset with Grimsvatn Volcano Erupting, Vatnajokull National Park and Vatnajokull National Park. Unesco World Heritage Site. Iceland 
Barry Fisher SunsetIn Bacton, Norfolk 
Fraser MacDonald, Morocco at the edge ofThe Sahara 
Arthur Lee SunsetMood 
Nev Connell – Granada Spain 
Pamela Winter – Three Gossips Arches National Park Utah 
Take a walk somewhere that has clean air.
Although air pollution can create interesting, hazy sunsets with a strong red color, it generally dulls the sunset’s vibrancy, as the pollution blocks the light. Regions with a cleaner atmosphere, such as the ocean, often have the most vibrant sunsets. (That’s one reason why beaches are great locations for sunsets.) With less pollution, you’ll get sunsets with crisp, bright colors, instead ofGrayish tones
Htin Lin Han – Myanmar Sunset 
Simon Pratley 
Vincent Spratling – Morecambe Bay in Lancashire 
Kenny Davis – Baker Park in Frederick Maryland 
Eric Hatch SunsetSiesta Key 
Bob McCormac 
Low humidity is best.
As pollution, high humidity can cause a cloud that blocks out the bright colors. ofA sunset. That’s why winter sunsets tend to be more spectacular than summer sunsets; the dry, winter air makes the sunset’s colors look brighter. But if you’re not keen on shooting a sunset in the snow, you can catch beautiful sunsets in autumn, too, when the days are cooler and drier than in summer, but not yet freezing cold.
Carol Hakobian – New Mexico 
Shivji Joshi 
Thomas Thompson 
Earle Waters SunsetAntelope Island Utah 
Sue Talbot – Bloor 
Make sure you are thoughtful about your composition.
Shooting a gorgeous subject like a sunset won’t automatically make your photo look gorgeous. Even when you’re using the right gear and camera settings, you can end up with boring images if your composition is off. To create beautiful images, you must have basic technical knowledge.
Even a dull sunset can look stunning if it has a good composition. The sunset will also look stunning if the composition is perfect. What do you know about composition? These 10 tips will instantly improve your compositions.
This list will help you to think that you already know all there is about composition. of compositional techniques. There are many ideas you might try.
Ilina Bareja – NYC skyline 
Fabien Butazzi – London Sunset 
LC Ferrari 
Ragnar TH Sigurdsson: Woman enjoying mid-summer light, midnight sun and Leirhnukur hot springs area, Mt. Namafjall in Northern Iceland 
Simon Pratley 
Amine Fassi – Bird Sunset 
Try out new techniques and ideas.
Though beautiful, sunsets have become cliché photography subjects. It can be difficult to find a sunset photo that stands out among the many available. That’s where creativity and technique come in. With technical skill and creative thinking, you can overcome the cliché and create images no one has seen before.
Detlef AHLERS 
Lee Musgrave SunsetRotated 45 degrees 
Warren Krupsaw 
Paul Foley, Rainbow Sunset 
Ragnar, TH Sigurdsson, Midnight sun, Midsummer colorful skies above Lake Myvatn (Mt. Vindbelgur Northern Iceland 
