SUNSETS

"There's a sunrise and sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them." — Jo Walton, science fiction writer    

     I love take photos of sunsets, not one looks like the other. Even ask my wife how much I enjoy taking photos of sunsets, she'll probably tell you about a whole wall at our house littered with sunset photos that I've taken over the years.

     This sunset photo here to the right is one I captured this past Saturday, Aug. 24, while making a quick stop at work. It was right off the dock at Town Line Lake in Three Lakes with a boat coasting slowly along ... I wish I had a boat, I'd be out there every evening. Anyone want to donate one to me? 

     Sunsets can be a little tricky for some to get photos of. If you have just a point-and-shoot camera, it can be even more difficult, but here are some pretty basic tips I can give you for shooting sunsets.

• Slow down and look around — Don't always be in a hurry. Slow down and look at your surroundings, beautiful sunsets happen quite often, but if you're in a hurry, you'll never see them.
• Follow the lines — Look for leading lines, which are elements in your photo that can be used to compose and draw your viewer into the photograph. Some good examples are docks and trees or even boats.
• Silhouettes are fun — Look for silhouette options. They don't work all the time, but one of my favorites (which you can view here) is a silhouette I captured on Shawano Lake a few years back. Trees are real good for silhouettes too.
• Find something in the photo — Put something in the foreground. If you're shooting a sunset and just have the sunset in the photo and nothing else, it might look a bit boring. Try putting in shrubs or trees or something in the foreground to make it more interesting.
• Low ISO — I like to keep my ISO at 100 for sunsets and adjust the shutter speed. This way there is less grain in the image and the colors seem to pop that much more.
• Take a lot of photos — The last time I can offer you is take a lot of photos of a sunset, from different angles. You never know what you'll end up with.

     Now, go out and try getting that sunset photo. Oh, and don't forget to check out my other sunset photos and my website at corydellenbach.wix.com/photo