Sunday, January 19, 2014

Lighthaus Camera's Sunday Tip: Five Sunset Portrait Tips

Now that you are here in Hawaii, what better time to get those great family pictures than sunset.  When I took the photo in this post, I did not know too much about photography.  If only I had known about some of the tips below.

1.  This first tip would have made the picture be so much better.  If you have off camera flash, use it as a fill flash.  Since sunset photos are always back lit, the fill flash will make all the difference.

2.  If you are shooting with a flash, try using a gel to warm the light coming from your flash.  It can look strange having a daylight balanced light from the flash and a warm light from the sunset.

3.  Check to make sure that you have not overexposed the sky.  Meter for the sunset, then recompose the shot to include the subject.

4.  Turn off the auto white balance.  For me sunsets look best when the white balance is set between 3,000 and 4,000 kelvin.  If you shoot in RAW, never mind since you can always change the white balance in your editing software.

5.  In addition to getting the classic portrait shots, try doing a few silhouettes too.  Just put your subject in front of the sunset and see what happens.

Lighthaus Camera has a few items that will help in your sunset portrait photography needs.  We have a mini soft box that can soften your flashes light. Reflectors that can change the angles and temperatures of the sunlight. And neutral density filters that can help control the amount of light coming into your camera.  Each one of our four locations have different items in stock, so give us a call to make sure we have what you are looking for.

Lighthaus Camera Kona: 808 326 7355
Lighthaus Camera Kihei: 808 877 5155
Lighthaus Camera Lahaina: 808 661 5155
Lighthaus Camera Oahu: 808 955 5155


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