capturing light and love - perfect sunset sessions

So I know sometimes it might look like all these amazing photographs you see on Instagram just happen, but the more you grow and learn, you realise that luck just doesn't come into it. Planning and scouting is so important, and thinking about exactly where you are going to take a client and when ahead of time really makes for a special session, and will always make your client feel so much more at ease. 

For this special family, I knew we were going to try for a sunset session with a little one in tow, so timing and organisation would be even more important. That doesn't mean spontaneity goes out the window, you can still react to what's going on in the moment, but having a good idea about what your next set up is going to be and where you are going just make the session go so smoothly and the more you can keep up the banter about what's coming next, the more comfortable your client will feel.

So the day before the shoot I decided to use my training run time wisely and drove to the location and did my kilometres all around the area, which gave me the time to really look at all the bit of the parks and get a good idea of where I would go and what time. Checking the sunset times is so important as we have such a short window for sunset photography so you need to look at the map, decide when you think the sun is going to dip behind the trees and plan accordingly. If you can visit the site close to your shooting day so you can see for yourself where the light will be. 

Then once you are in the session, be sure to move around your subjects, and try lots of different angles. Capturing the light from different places ensures you are going to have lots of material to work with in the edit, and what doesn't work out quite like your thought, might give way to an even better image that you hadn't planned. Sun behind is always lovely for hair lights, but don't miss out on that gorgeous skin glow you get from the final moments of dying sunlight direct on the skin. 

As for settings, I always shoot dark for sunsets, so don't be afraid to underexpose. Just keep your iso low to preserve detail, and don't be scared of the dark images you see. You'll be able to brighten them up in post and all that beautiful sky detail will be there to pull back if you want it. I usually shot quite wide open at f 2.8, but for sunset where you really want to bring in more of the background then maybe consider moving up to around f 5, especially if you are using a prime or zoom lens at around 70mm.  You don't want to loose the background completely as this is what will give your images depth and feeling. 

And that brings us full circle back to location. Sunset locations are all about the setting. Nature really does bring sunset photography alive, so you need to think about where you are going to shoot and what is going to be in the background. In this case it was all about the grasses, the trees and the water and making sure I was placing me subject in the place that brought all of these things in, and then positioning myself to get those light leaks in just the right spot. And when you miss the burst of sunset, you can always enhance in post. Always check out what happens when you apply a gradient filter or radial filter. You might run your first edit and think you have a bland sky once you've brightened for skin, but the magic happens when you take the next step and lower the exposure again just on the sky.

Have fun playing! 

Love Gemma xx