Photo Tips
Sunsets (and sunrises) are one of nature's most beautiful moments. The low angle light can produce spectacular colors and, combined with different subjects, create truly compelling images. The key here is that sunsets need to be combined with a subject. Simply shooting the colors alone are good, but definitely not great. Even with perfect light, your image still needs a subject.
Put a subject in your sunset shots! Obviously, the more compelling your subject, the better, but with sunset (and sunrises), just about anything will do. The key is that there must actually be a subject. Clouds, a bush, reflections in water, something to set the scene, these will all give your viewer something to focus on while creating dimension and scale.
Try it and see. Take a picture of a sunset and then take one with something in the foreground (water, mountains, trees, anything). Compare them both to see which you think is most compelling.
This same concept applies to shots of the moon as well.
- Colin McNulty - Rosmaru Expeditions