How to photograph sunsets and sunrises
Sunsets and sunrises look easy to photograph, yet the results often disappoint: the sky turns pale, the land goes black, or the colours look flatter than you remember. The light changes fast and the scene has a huge range of brightness, so a few decisions matter more than usual. This guide follows the order of a real shoot, from planning the evening to the last colour in the sky, with settings you can use straight away.
Quick fixes
| Problem | Fix | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| The sky looks white or washed out | Expose for the bright sky with −1 to −2 EV compensation | 3 |
| The foreground is completely black | Bracket exposures, or use the darkness as a silhouette | 8 |
| Colours are duller than in real life | Set white balance to Daylight or Cloudy instead of Auto | 4 |
| The horizon is crooked or cuts the photo in half | Level the camera and place the horizon on a third | 5 |
| You packed up before the best colour | Stay 20–30 minutes after the sun has set | 7 |
| Photos turn blurry as the light fades | Use a tripod and the 2-second self-timer | 7 |
1Plan the time, direction and weather
The sun sets and rises at a different time and in a different place on the horizon throughout the year. In summer it sets well to the north of due west, in winter well to the south. Knowing where it will go lets you choose a spot where the sun drops behind something interesting rather than behind a building.
Weather decides the colour. A completely clear sky gives a clean but plain gradient; scattered high or mid-level clouds catch the light and turn orange, pink and red. A thick, low cloud bank on the horizon can block the sun entirely.
- Check the exact sunset or sunrise time and the sun's direction in a weather app or a sun-position app the day before.
- Look at the cloud forecast: partly cloudy (roughly 30–70% cover) often gives the best colour.
- Arrive 30–45 minutes early to find your composition, set up and take test shots calmly.
- For sunrise, scout the place in daylight the day before so you are not searching in the dark.
2Golden hour and blue hour
Golden hour is the period when the sun is low, roughly the hour before sunset and after sunrise. The light is warm, soft and comes from the side, which suits landscapes and people.
Blue hour comes after the sun has set (or before it rises), when the sun is a few degrees below the horizon. The sky turns deep blue, city lights balance with the sky, and the mood is calm. Its length depends on your latitude and the season, but it often lasts only about 20–40 minutes.
- Use golden hour for warm light on the landscape and for portraits with the sun behind or beside the person.
- Use blue hour for cityscapes, water and silhouettes against a cool sky.
- Plan to stay for both: one evening gives you two very different sets of photos.
3Expose for the sky, not the ground
The sky near the sun is many times brighter than the land. If the camera tries to show detail in the dark ground, the sky becomes pale and the colours disappear. Exposing for the sky keeps the colours rich and lets the foreground fall into shadow.
That dark foreground is not a mistake: people, trees, boats or rocks become strong silhouettes when they stand against a bright sky.
- Set exposure compensation to about −1 to −2 EV, or meter on a bright part of the sky beside the sun (not the sun itself) and lock the exposure.
- Start with ISO 100 and f/8–f/11 for a landscape, and let the shutter speed follow.
- Turn on highlight warnings or check the histogram: the brightest sky should not be a solid blinking area.
- For a silhouette, place the subject against the brightest part of the sky and keep a clear gap around its outline.
4Set white balance so the warmth survives
Auto white balance tries to make the scene look neutral. At sunset it often sees the orange light as a colour cast and removes part of it, so the photo looks cooler and flatter than what you saw.
- Switch to the Daylight (Sunny) preset, about 5200–5500 K, for natural sunset colours.
- Try Cloudy or Shade for extra warmth, or set a custom value of roughly 6000–7000 K.
- Shoot in RAW if you can; you can then adjust white balance freely in editing without losing quality.
- For blue hour, Daylight keeps the blue; a lower value such as 4000 K makes it even deeper.
5Compose with a foreground and a level horizon
A sky on its own rarely makes a strong photo. Something in the foreground or along the horizon gives scale and a reason to look: a tree, a pier, a person, rocks or a boat.
Water is a gift at sunset. A calm lake or sea reflects the colours and doubles the area of colour in the frame.
- Do not centre the horizon. Put it on the lower third when the sky is dramatic, on the upper third when the reflection or foreground is more interesting.
- Turn on the grid or electronic level and keep the horizon straight; a tilted sea looks like it is draining away.
- Get low to bring rocks, sand ripples or grass into the bottom of the frame.
- Include water when you can, and move along the shore until the reflection lines up with the sun's path.
6Choose the focal length, and protect your eyes
A wide lens (roughly 16–35 mm on full frame) shows the whole sky, the clouds and the land. A telephoto lens (200 mm and longer) makes the sun look large behind a distant subject, such as a boat, a tree on a hill or a building.
Safety first: never look at the sun through an optical viewfinder, especially with a telephoto lens. The lens concentrates the light and can permanently damage your eye within moments. Pointing a long lens straight at a high, bright sun for a long time can also damage the camera's sensor or shutter.
- Use a wide lens at f/8–f/11 for landscapes with foreground detail.
- Use a telephoto lens for a big sun, and only when the sun is very low and softened by haze, right at the horizon.
- With a long lens, compose on the rear screen in live view instead of the optical viewfinder, and do not keep the lens aimed at the sun between shots.
- If the sun is still too bright to look at with the naked eye, it is too bright for the viewfinder.
7Keep shooting after the sun has set
Many people pack up as soon as the sun disappears, but the best colour often comes later. About 10–30 minutes after sunset, the clouds can light up pink and red from below (the afterglow), and the sky then fades into blue hour.
The light also drops quickly now, so shutter speeds get long and handheld photos start to blur.
- Stay at least 20–30 minutes after sunset; for sunrise, start shooting about 30 minutes before the sun appears.
- Put the camera on a tripod, keep ISO 100–400 and use the 2-second self-timer or a remote.
- Turn image stabilisation off on the tripod, and check sharpness by zooming in on the screen.
- Turn around now and then: the sky opposite the sunset can show soft pink and purple bands.
8Bracket exposures for both sky and foreground
Sometimes you want detail in both the bright sky and the dark land. No single exposure can hold that range, so take several photos at different exposures and combine them later (HDR). Many phones do this automatically.
- Turn on auto exposure bracketing (AEB): 3 or 5 shots, 1–2 EV apart.
- Use a tripod so the frames line up, and keep the same aperture in every shot (use aperture priority or manual).
- Merge the frames in your editing software, and keep the result natural: avoid strong halos and grey skies.
- As an alternative, a graduated neutral density filter (about 2–3 stops) darkens the sky in a single shot.
Before you go
- Sunset or sunrise time and direction checked
- Cloud forecast checked (partly cloudy is best)
- Arrive 30–45 minutes early
- Exposure compensation −1 to −2 EV
- White balance on Daylight or Cloudy
- Horizon level and off-centre
- Tripod for after sunset
- Never look at the sun through the viewfinder