photographing sunsets

"What would be a good setting to use. What type of filter should be used?"

Thanks "jj the science guy" for your question on how to photograph sunsets. I'll answer the second part of the question first: None. I would not use any filter. If you really want to adjust the color, you can do it later with your favorite photo editing software.

Here are my five top tips for sunset photos:

1. Use manual focus. Sometimes camera auto-focus mechanisms fail when shooting directly into the sun.

2. Bracket your exposures. Take a series of underexposed through overexposed photos and pick your favorite ones after. Sunsets vary greatly in the lighting conditions depending on the time and clouds and other atmospheric conditions.

Underexposed skies are a bit more vivid in color than overexposed skies.

3. Use a tripod or at least a monopod to make sure your pictures come out sharp. As the sun sets, the amount of light falls rapidly and a longer shutter speed is required to get a good exposure.

4. Use a low ISO setting to get the best quality and least amount of noise especially if you do use a tripod.

5. Use good composition rules (found on this Digital Photo Tips web site. Often silhouettes add a great deal of interest to your sunset photos.

Try using different zoom settings and consider including other subjects in your composition besides just the sunset.

p.s. I like to plan ahead and look for great locations in the event that a good sunset appears imminent. I shoot manual exposure, use a tripod when possible, and cheat by looking at my camera lcd screen as well as the histogram and quickly adjust as necessary.

p.p.s. In most situations, underexposing an f-stop or two from the camera's recommended exposure gives you the best sunset pictures.

Happy shooting
Photo TipsMan