Photography is the study of light, so it’s no surprise that photographers love sunrise and sunsets. I am sure most of us have heard the term golden hour. It is what we refer to as the best time of day to shoot. There is an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset that creates that golden dreamy light.
Viewing sunsets is a way to relax, find peace, or bring people together. I’ve watched countless sunsets at the beach and I love to see how crowds gather and people pause to take it in. Sunsets can be truly magical. However, showing of the magic and beauty of a sunset in photo can be tricky? Getting the right tones especially on film can be difficult.
Here are a few easy steps to help ensure you are setting yourself up for success.
1-Place your subject to the side of the light. If you have a couple use the taller person to shade the other to create even light.
2-meter for the shadows and rate your film so that your subjects faces are not too dark. If you underexpose you will end up with muddy looking images.
3- use a film stock like Portra that brings out the warm tones of the sunset.
4- look for natural reflectors like sand to bounce light into your couples face. 5- don’t blow your highlights or all those pretty tones of sunset will be los
