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The setting sun. The time at the end of the day that is special
for taking photos. The nearer the sun is to the horizon, the greater the distance that sunlight must travel
through the air. As the blue light components become diffused, the red color becomes stronger.
If you do not photograph the sun, you can take photos that are clear in color with the blue sky and the red horizon
for twenty to thirty minutes after sunset.
The color of the sky in the photos varies depending on the exposure settings. The reason is that the impression of
the sunset changes significantly with slight variations in times. Try different exposure settings if you are using a manual
camera. Make sure that you bracket your exposure settings from a brighter level (positive compensation) to a darker level
(negative compensation) when shooting with automatic exposure. If your camera has the Auto Bracket function for automatically
changing the exposure to three different patterns, it is better to use that function.
The following pictures are examples showing how the photos change when the exposure changes from a brighter to a darker
level.
With a brighter exposure, people in the foreground are clear while the color of the sky is blue, as in the daytime.
With a darker exposure, the people in front are dark like a silhouette, while the sky is the color of the setting sun. The
appropriate setting is determined by the photographer. Since the setting sun is the theme here, the darker exposure may create
a better ambience for the setting sun. However, for the morning sun, you can capture the brightness of the morning by setting
a brighter exposure. |
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If
you shoot a photo with an automatic camera, it may look like sample picture 03 because of the
effect of the bright sun and the sky. (This is because the setting sun varies according to a
slight difference in time.) If a person stands at the front, the exposure may be automatically
adjusted to a brighter level to capture the person. It is essential to know the tendency of your
camera in advance.
If your camera has an exposure compensation
function, it is advisable to set the compensation to slightly darker level (-1.) It makes the color
of the sky much deeper.
If you use the camera that can change the light metering system, apply spot light metering or partial
light metering to the sky slightly away from the sun (the area out of the light circle of the sun),
and shoot using the AE Lock or the manual exposure. In this way, you will be able to take a photo
with a beautiful silhouette. |
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| In terms of photo composition, if both the sky and the sea are attractive
and so are included in the same frame, the horizon will be in the center and the picture will not be
as well balanced. |
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shot of the couple watching the setting sun from the kayak was taken in a beautiful silhouette (The
spot light metering or partial light metering was applied to the portion in the red circle.) |
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If both the sky and the ocean are composed within the frame at the same ratio because you regard them as equally beautiful, the photo will not be well balanced, as the horizon is positioned in the center of the screen.
In the photo below, the people in the silhouette were positioned in front to strike a balance with the horizon. The
photographer could capture the movement of the brother and the sister standing up when the sun sank behind the ship. |
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Both the ocean and
the sky exhibit a beautiful color through the shining sunlight at the end of the day. |
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