The sunset is one of the best times to click fascinating portraits, but at the same time, it’s very challenging to do, especially for beginner photographers. It’s not possible to click high-quality pictures during sunset without knowing the right tips and tricks.
The sunset hours are also known as golden hours and are very popular for clicking wedding portraits. The main reason behind this is that during this time of the day, the subject’s skin looks soft, and he/she can face the sun without blinking the eyes. It makes wedding photography a bit magical. That’s why it is also known as magical hours of photography.
The newbie wedding photographers feel overwhelmed to capture images during sunset. Some of the common questions that pop in their minds are; how to pose the subject? Which lens to use? What spy camera settings to be used?
We have concluded the tips to capture the best images during sunset, which boost your confidence and decrease the pressure of immediate decision-making.
Here are seven tips to take perfect sunset portraits.
- Scout The Location
Visit the location a day before the shoot. Scouting the venue can bring various ideas to your mind and allow you to keep them in the back of the mind, which eventually reduces immediate decision-making pressure. Also, it helps you locate the right place to click pictures. Another thing to note is that you should arrive 15-20 minutes before the couple on the day of the shoot so that you can give them a warm welcome.
- Set Your Camera’s Aperture
Although, it is not necessary to keep the aperture in manual mode. However, if you prefer the aperture to take pictures, it is better that you set the aperture manually. For capturing alluring portraits during sunset, the aperture should be between f8 and f16.
If you keep the aperture less than f8, the subject will look blurry. On the other hand, if the aperture is set more than f16, it will add extra sharpness to the images. Therefore, it is vital to set the camera’s aperture carefully.
- Choose The Shutter Speed
Selecting the shutter speed also plays an important role in getting great images during sunset. If you hold the camera in your hands during shooting, you have to keep the shutter speed more than 1/60, although if you hold the camera at the tripod, you can reduce the shutter speed as much as you want.
The shutter speed also depends on the focal length of the lens. According to the rule, the denominator of the shutter speed should be the denominator of shutter speed. For instance, if the focal length of the lens is 70mm, the shutter speed is to be 1/70, it allows you to take sharp pictures.
- Don’t Be Afraid Of Experiments.
Many beginner photographers are afraid of small weather changes like rain, storm, clouds, etc. But you don’t need to worry about the little storm and clouds. They can help you to make sunset pictures look better.
- Set ISO
For sunset portraits, the ISO should be set between low to mid-range. If you find the exposure too dark, then you can increase the ISO, but keep in mind that it should not exceed more than 800 on the camera with a full-frame.
- Use Reflector
The experienced wedding photographer always uses a reflector for sunset wedding photography. It is the simplest and quickest way to add light to the subject. Although subjects get the direct light from the sky in the sunset hours, adding even more light to the subject can enhance the photo quality.
Wrapping Up:
Sunset time is the best for clicking mesmerizing photos, but it requires patience and skill. You can consider the above suggestions to enhance your sunset photography skills.