Sunsets at Canon Beach

[CLK]

I have a question about taking and cropping sunsets. I took a series of pictures as the sun was setting, I am really happy with the color, but I don't know when this kind of picture do you center the sun in the middle of the photo or off to one side, do you try to include the beach further back or just where the waves are breaking. Thirdly, since I wasn't able to keep people from stopping and watching the sun set do you clone out several and just keep one or two. The third picture is of a couple that were also taking pictures and I shot them deliberately in the corner. They aren't the perfect shape of the models you see in sunsets but I had to go with the people wondering at the time. I am looking for input into the compositional concepts with taking sunset pictures.

[CLK]

Also are the birds in the third one a distraction, should they be removed?

[Donald]

Is it really called Canon Beach? If so, Nikon are going to be really put out.

First thing - Look at the horizon in the first and second. Problem? It's not level. It's sloping to the left. A very common error that all of us have made and that we never notice until someone points it out.

There are lots of people who concentrate much more on sunsets than I do who will be bale to give give very helpful comments. But a couple of thoughts:-

• Some images do work with the sun actually in them. But an awful lot of people wait until the sun has disappeared. You can see that in your this one. The sun has almost gone and the colour is spectacular.
• I actually like those two people in that third one.I think they add to the image and give it a human interest.
• Personally, I think that if you're including any portion of the sun, putting the sun in the centre is probably not what you want to do. But, there can never be any definitive answer on that. For some images it will work. But, better than that, wait until the sun has gone completely. That's when the colours really get interesting.

[tbob]

The colour is great. As Donald said there are no hard and fast rules about where the sun should be, it is a matter of artistic taste. My feeling in this instance would be to get less of the sky and more of the beach. The interest lies in the reflection of the sun on the beach, the subtle light on the waves and sea and the silhouette of the people. In the first and third the silhouette and sun on the beach are cut off too abruptly for my taste. But it is truly a matter of preference.


i like where the people and the reflection of the sun are relative to each other in number 1; nicely balanced.

The birds must go; they look too much like sensor spots. If they were larger they make a nice element.

A

[CLK]

Yes it really is called Canon Beach, because a canon from a wrecked US Navy ship washed ashore in 1846. It is also known for a very large rock sitting just at the breaker line. I have lots of pictures of it, but in this part of the world at least those pictures are ubiquitous and I haven't done much with them yet. I agree the colors only got better and better and I do have many pictures after the sun actually set, mostly because my husband kept saying are getting a picture of that, the color is getting better and better So often my horizons are off because for some reason I am always tilting my head therefore my camera when I take a picture. I think you actually pointed that out on my very first posting, I didn't listen very well did I? I too like the reflection cast on the sand however the tide must have been in when I took these because that darker line is where the dry sand started. Maybe if I had been out on the beach, but was on a first floor room deck. There would have too many people to get the shots if I had been actually down on the sand. Lastly, the damn birds they won't pose for me and they won't fly to the side when I want them to, am going to have to work harder with my negotiations. Thank you for your input, every little bit helps.

[Ken Curtis]

Hi Connie. I think #3 is terrific. Normally I do not prefer the Sun in the middle but the silhouetted people offset the centered Sun and the image is very appealing. I like that there is not much sand showing at the bottom of the photo. There is just enough to anchor the image. Since I doubt you can negotiate the birds out of the photo, even with bird seed thrown off the the side, try removing them with a spot healing tool. It is easy and effective.

[CLK]

Figured that was my only option. Have you ever tried to feed seagulls? They are rude and aggressive and must be telepathic because two birds turn into 50 within seconds of dropping the bread crumbs.

[Mike Buckley]

Nikon users can take heart that its name is Cannon Beach, not Canon Beach.