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Sunsets

Not all sunsets are created equal.

The same could be said of sunset pictures.

Sometimes what you see in the sky doesn't show up in your pictures. With training and practice, you can master the art of taking excellent sunset pictures. In the meantime, there are a few easy steps you can take to improve them:

The first step involves controlling the cameras exposure -- this can be done without adjusting any settings.

The two pictures at right were taken with the same camera at the same time, but with wildly different results. Every camera, especially a ‘point-n-shoot’ cameras, has a built in light meter. This meter tells the camera how long the shutter should stay open and where to set the aperture.

Typically, a camera will sample the exact center of the picture to determine how bright it's going to be.

You have to trick the camera into properly evaluating the brightness/ darkness of the sunset. Simply aim it toward a brighter part of the sky while holding the shutter button halfway down. Without releasing the shutter button, return the aim to the desired part of the sunset and press the button the rest of the way.

The second step involves narrowing the focus of the picture.

Both sunsets at right were taken with the same camera and at nearly the same time. The lower picture is focused on a smaller area of the scene, creating a more dramatic image.

One easy way to capture the intensity of a terrific sunset is to use the camera's zoom feature to pick a particularly interesting part of the scene. By doing this you can bring out details that might be overlooked in a wider field of vision.