How to take a perfect sunset photo?

In the photography circle, it is generally believed that sunset photos are one of the most wanted photos when people travel or vacation. Nothing can make people feel absolute peace like a perfect sunset photo.

Internal problems of sunset pictures

The problem is that most of these shots cannot accurately represent the real sunset. Especially at sunset, most people (in fact, people present) say that the sunset is more beautiful.

Why is it always like this? Why do people's sunset photos never fully capture the essence of that moment? Why have they never really come into contact with the reality of the event, because it has been depicted in people's minds,

When they're actually filming.

The biggest challenge of sunset photos is that when you shoot with a camera, your camera can't actually see the light like your eyes. Your eyes can see a wider range of light intensity than a camera.

The camera can capture a narrow range of light, and can also capture a very bright color range and a very dark color range. The challenge at sunset is the objects in the foreground, for example, you are shooting mountains, that is, oceans or valleys, which are much darker than the background (this is the sky). Even if the sun goes down, you know that the sky is still bright, so the sky is still much brighter than the foreground.

The problem now is that the camera will overexpose the sky, and you won't have any color in the sunset photos. It is also possible to expose the foreground to make it completely black, and then the sky will be properly exposed. No matter what kind of situation you analyze, neither is conducive to capturing the spirit of the moment. This is where most sunset photos fail.

Combine HDR

The first way to correct the camera effect is to use a process called HDR photography. HDR stands for high dynamic range photography. For some photographers, this may not be the first choice for enhancement or correction. This method is hesitant because it makes the photos look almost like the scenery of the end of the world. This is a matter of personal taste and style. This is not to say that in any case, the range of visual intensity will be destroyed or the quality will be poor. In fact, in most cases, these photos have a brilliant luminous range. Nevertheless, some photographers are not keen on high dynamic range photography.

Use a combination of gradient neutral densities.

There is another technique that can be used to correct sunset photos. This method includes the use of graded neutral density filters. This may sound complicated, but it's not. The method include using a transparent glass filt,

The top is slightly darker and the bottom is clear. The range of glass fading is also very narrow. This glass filter can be arranged on the horizon, so that the dark parts can be exposed by the camera.

So that the sky can be properly exposed with the foreground.

This is a job of calibrating peripheral equipment. Using the gradient neutral density filter, you can get all-round light visible to the naked eye when shooting.

Let's take the photo above as an example. This photo was taken at the same time when the sun sank below the horizon of Haiti. Filters help balance the brightness of the sky with the darkness of the foreground. Note that the use of filters brings so many colors and contrast details to the sky.

Glass filter, it really doesn't add any extra color, just a neutral density gray shadow. The color seen in the photo taken with the glass filter is completely natural, and the glass filter does not add any extra color.

Using a polarizing filter

Polarizing filters enable the camera to see the scenery of sunset photos with the same ability as the eyes, and reduce the amount of reflection and glare in the photos, as shown in the example here.

In addition, it allows the camera to capture various colors and other details in the final image. This is an excellent technique for any sunset.

In order to make the sun the focus of the photo, it is strongly recommended to use a wide-angle focal length to highlight the effect. These general considerations can produce impressive results in sunset photos.