The shows nature offers us are impressive. Ranging from warm colors to animals and natural marvels, you have so many subjects to photograph. And who does not love photos of the sunset? They picture some of the most amazing warm colors hues that go straight to your soul and calm you. Watching photos with the sunset could be a relaxing activity. But what about sunset photography by the sea?
Because many photography enthusiasts try to capture the beauty of a sunset by the sea, here are 7 pieces of advice that will help you improve your strategy and tactics. Keep reading to discover them.
1. The Golden Hour
If you have not heard about the golden hour, you should know that is one of the major factors that can make your sunset photos by the sea awesome. Even though you might think that the golden hour is just an hour, this is not always the case. It depends on your location on the globe, the season you are taking photos in, and of course, local weather conditions. When you hear about the golden hour, you need to be aware that it is a specific time during the day before the sunset starts. While in the morning, the golden hour is described by the few moments of warm light after the sun rises. The light is softer and if you are by the sea, you could take amazing photos.
2. Choose Your Place
Even though the sunset and the sea alone promise to offer you a good photo, you could look for something out of the ordinary. It’s true that every sunset has its magic and sometimes introducing more elements in the photo composition could divert the attention from the focus point of the photo: the sunset. But to improve your sunset photography skills, you could start searching for the perfect place. Maybe you identify a place where palmier trees add a tropical touch to your sunset photo. Maybe you find a romantic bench near the sea. Choosing your place depends on your location on the beach, but make sure you do not miss the sunset.
3. Be There on Time
Arriving at your chosen place before the golden hour starts is a trick that will help you improve your photography skills. Many photography enthusiasts are aware of the golden hour, but not of the fact that it takes time to set your gear. You might lose precious moments looking for the perfect place or adjusting the settings of your DSLR, so being there ahead of time is essential. The best thing would be to be there at least one hour in advance. This also allows you to change your composition if you want or find a better place.
4. Set Your Camera on Manual
Many photographers are afraid of setting their cameras on manual because this means they have to adjust all the settings. Taking photos in auto mode may give you a sense of security as the camera can adjust the settings depending on the light and the subject. However, if you want to improve your sunset photography by the sea, you need to set your camera on manual. It might be a frightening moment and you might feel that you don’t know how to adjust the settings, but here is a piece of advice.
Adjusting the aperture is essential, as a smaller aperture will help you deal better with distance focusing. Do not forget that the aperture is represented as a fraction. For example, you could set an aperture of f/3.5 or one of f/18. Remember to replace f with 1 to be sure you make the right settings.
5. Landscape Photos
When shooting sunsets by the sea, you might be tempted to take photos in portrait mode, to put the sunset more into value. But while this technique can indeed lead to amazing photographs, choosing to shoot in landscape mode could offer you more than this. You could capture rocks, sea waves, or many other elements that will come with a touch of magic.
6. ISO Settings
ISO, besides aperture and shutter speed, is an important component of the triangle of light. If you manage to adjust all these settings to complete each other, you will take flabbergasting sunset photos by the sea. ISO settings are very important because you decide how much light gets into your camera sensor. The higher the ISO, the more light it captures. But keep in mind that an ISO setting above 800 will leave you with background noise and not with a beautiful depth of field.
7. Learn Composition Techniques
Before going to your place on the beach, it would be helpful to inform you of the basic composition techniques you could apply. You will have many elements to play with, especially the reflection of the sunset on the sea. There are clouds, rocks, and even silhouettes you can introduce to your photo composition to create something wonderful.
These are some of the basic pieces of advice that will help you improve your sunset photography by the sea. If they helped you capture the beauty of a sunset, show me the pictures!
Author Bio: Nicole Holmes is a journalist and editor at dissertation writing services uk in London. Also, she is interested in reading, dancing, sports, and financial issues.
