How to photograph sunsets that look as good as they felt

Sunsets often look disappointing on camera. Learn exposure, white balance, composition and why the best color often comes after the sun goes down.

A sunset can look spectacular in person and flat in a photo. A few techniques close that gap.

Expose for the sky

Meter on the bright sky beside the sun, not the sun itself. Use −0.7 to −1 exposure compensation to keep colors rich. Foregrounds will turn into silhouettes, which can be beautiful.

White balance

Auto white balance tries to neutralize warm colors. Set daylight or about 5500K to keep the oranges and reds you saw. Cloudy setting adds even more warmth.

Add a foreground

A sunset alone is just a colorful sky. Add a silhouette: palm trees, a pier, a church tower, people walking on the beach.

Stay after sunset

The most intense colors often appear 10 to 20 minutes after the sun sets, when clouds light up from below. Then the blue hour begins. Many people leave too early.

Protect your eyes

Never look at the sun through an optical viewfinder or telephoto lens. Mirrorless electronic viewfinders are safer, but still avoid pointing at the sun for long periods to protect the sensor.