Sunset photography, how to successfully shoot a portrait in a planned way?

In this article, I will introduce you to some effective techniques for taking sunset portraits and learn how to take portraits that users like.

Plan the sunset shoot in advance.

When many photographers start shooting portraits, both professionals and entertainers will be confused.

Where should I shoot? How should people pose? What kind of lens should you choose? What settings should I use? When should I get close or away? What can I say to arouse strong feelings?

Planning will give you confidence and help reduce the pressure of decision-making. This is not a limitation, because the best pictures are usually spontaneous, but when you are not inspired, it will bring you confidence and direction.

This is the general blueprint for our sunset shooting, whether it is engagement, wedding, family photo, outdoor photography of pregnant women or newborn photography. Portrait photos are always arranged about an hour before sunset.

This plan has two purposes-not only to make you feel more confident, but also to help you make full use of the terrain and sunset lighting.

Step 1: Arrive at the observation shooting area early.

Plan to arrive at the shooting area 20-30 minutes in advance. You never know what wonderful trails or glades may be nearby, so it's worth taking the time to explore. It's best to arrive before the customers, so that they feel waiting for them and are happy for their arrival.

Step 2: Evaluate the shooting position.

Use the following questions to start evaluating the shooting position:

Where does the beautiful shadow area begin? It's worth starting from a dark corner, because the sun is still shining.

Where is the highest point in this area? If you are in hilly areas, you can capture the last moment of sunset and make full use of the golden light.

What's your most memorable sunset spot? This is where the scene ends-it should be at the end of the route.

After answering these questions, you can plan your route roughly. This means that you always know the direction and confidently guide your customers in the region.

Step 3: shoot in the best light.

In order to make full use of sunset lighting, you can follow the same plan every time you shoot (in this order):

Shoot in the shade

Ambient light lens

Contour lens

Sunset shooting

Photo at dusk

Let's implement this plan, assuming that the sunset time is 18.00:

Arrive at 4:40 pm, investigate the area and evaluate the location.

16: 00-How much fun it will be to get tips on shooting skills when customers arrive!

17: 10- shoot in the shade

Shoot directly in the beautiful film discovered in advance. We like to take such photos regularly, because they are usually favored by customers and save more impressive lighting for landscape photos.

17: 25- shooting with scattered light

Then, you can move to other locations and use the sun in the shooting, but you can spread it with trees.

17:40- Silhouette shooting

About 10- 20 minutes before sunset, you can try silhouette, because silhouette requires shooting at a low angle.

17:50- Sunset shooting

Make the most of this beautiful soft light-if you know how to control the sunlight, you can even put your customers outdoors. At present, I try to take many photos-scenery, waist portraits, close-ups. Therefore, you can create a scene to decorate the wall, in which the photos have the same color as the sunset.

18:00- entering dusk

The sun has set, but there is still a shooting opportunity of 15 minutes, which can capture beautiful dusk colors. Since the sun is no longer shining brightly, you can use the whole area now! The area that used to be illuminated by bright sunshine is now in the soft light of dusk.

18: 10- complete

If you lack confidence and direction in sunset portrait shooting, this plan aims to provide you with some ideas to help you make full use of sunlight and effectively manage shooting time. Of course, as photographers, we are creative. If we are confident, it is always good to break the rules.