How to capture great sunset photographs

Sunsets are one of the most common subjects for a photographer. There’s a certain majesty in watching the sun slowly go down, marking the end of a day. How best to capture this scenic vista? Here are a couple of tips.

Contrast and saturation: When you’re shooting a sunset, you want to get those gorgeous, orange-red colours. Playing with the contrast helps. The same goes for saturation, which, when used wisely, can really make the colours pop.

For DSLR owners: Use manual mode and increase your shutter speed. While this gives you a darker foreground, you get a nice, clean sunset image. Of course, don’t forget to change your other settings accordingly.

Focal length: If you have the option, go wide! Sunsets aren’t much fun when you’re just zoomed into the sun. A wide-angle image can show you lots of silhouettes and things you wouldn’t normally notice in a zoomed-in photo.

White balance: This is essential when playing with scenes that involve a lot of colour (like sunsets). Again, the settings are up to you. We'd recommend that you twiddle with manual settings rather than go for presets.