“Wow, look at the sky!”
“The clouds are so pretty tonight!”
“I’ve never seen a sunset like this!”
These exclamations, and others similar, seem all too common in today’s generations. How many “unique” sunsets that are “the best you’ve ever seen” can there be? How many cloud formations can there be? Is the sky really a shade of pink you have never seen before?
“Let me take a picture.”
We all know, hear, and use the demand that almost always follows these other phrases:
“I have to post this.”
After clicking a photo of that supposedly sui generis sunset, most individuals’ desire to post it on Instagram or as a story on Snapchat is impossible to ignore. The reality of the situation is, unfortunately, one of hard truth, but also one of necessity that these individuals need to consider: No one cares.
The sunset you are so heavily in love with is nothing but a copy of the thousands of sunsets you, and your peers, have seen before. So, stop taking boring sunset photos. To take a truly unique and beautiful photo of the treasured golden hour is not a task of arduous effort, but can be mastered in a few steps.
- Your Subject
Despite the posts of sunsets you frequently see, the sun is not an acceptable subject for a photo that aims to be unique. Find a person, a building, an animal, or a plant, for example, to add depth, style, and distinctiveness to your photo. Anyone can look at the sun and take a photo of it, but having a subject, especially a non-permanent structure adds a valuable aspect of the precious element of time, elevating your photo to new heights. To add extra style points, make your subject a black silhouette, allowing a dynamic contrast between the vibrancy of the sun to the dark shadows of the subject. Remember, the sun does not need to be in your photo. The reality is that the best sunset photo simply captures the vibrant colors of the sky.
2. Ideal Cloud Conditions
Clouds are just as important as the subject of the photo, although it is important to note they cannot substitute for a subject. Thick clouds, especially those with breaks in between them lead to the rays of the sun being dispersed, often visible in tremendously stunning streaks. Wispy clouds catch and hold the warm colors of the sun, creating beautiful splotches of vibrant tones across the sky. Clouds serve the purpose of adding texture, depth, and visual vibrancy that cannot be achieved with other objects.
3. Proper Camera Ettiquette
The last tip is a combination of several different requirements. Make sure to wipe off your phone lens. So often do I see the camera lens of peoples’ phones to be muddied by grease, dirt, dust, or other foreign particles. When you take the photo, make sure the frame is level, and if it is not, crop it after the scene is captured to make the photo more visually appealing and not dizzying. Tap the screen to focus on your subject, and tilt your camera from side to side to remove the distracting lens flare of the sun.
Final Thoughts
Taking a photo of the sunset that is actually interesting is not hard, but it requires habits, which have grown strong through the repeated use of the aforementioned common quotes, to be broken, and replaced with more effective strategies.
