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100 in 100: Sunsets Without The Sun

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100 photography tips in 100 days: Day 18

By Mason Resnick

September 27, 2007

For more tips, go to the 100 in 100 homepage!

When you think of a sunset photo, do have a preconceived image of a red-and-orange sky over a luscious shoreline, or perhaps some people palm trees silhouetted against it for good measure? Yeah, I know: Been there, done that.

But if you turn your camera away from the sun--ever so slightly--you may recapture the visual magic of the few gold-infused minutes right before the sun dips below the horizon. Simply, photograph surfaces the setting sun is hitting, at oblique angles.

Photo © istockphoto.com/ Christine Balderas

Photo: Mason Resnick

It can be the sand on the aforementioned beach. Or, if you’re in a city, shoot the sunlight bouncing off buildings. Try to get some people in the shot to add a human element, and photograph the light hitting surfaces at extreme angles, which brings out textures and patterns that might be overlooked at other times of day. Watch how the long shadows add yet another dimension to the scene.

See? Sunsets (not to mention sunrises, which look almost identical) are still worth photographing!

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Mason Resnick is the Editor of Adorama's AIRC and 100 in 100.

© 2007 Adorama Camera, Inc.