Photo of the Day

People standing on a pier silhouetted against the sun
September 11, 2011

Sunset, Fort Myers Beach, Florida

This Month in Photo of the Day: Your Photos With Tips From Photographer Catherine Karnow

The key with sunsets is that you have to have subject matter, such as this boardwalk and people. You can’t just shoot the sun. Although the orb is lovely, it is the people and their shapes that make this an interesting picture. Including subject matter also gives you a sense of place. A sun setting over a body of water could be anywhere. And sunsets are a perfect excuse for shooting silhouettes.

In this image, I want to keep looking at the silhouettes; the variety of body language is intriguing. With silhouettes, each shape must be carefully defined, with no two shapes overlapping. In this photo, we keep seeing more as we keep looking. I love the two figures, third from the left, placed right between the diagonal lines of the pier, as well as the woman placed dead center in between the next pair of diagonal lines.

Photo Tip: Always include subject matter, such as silhouettes, in your sunset photos, and watch that the shapes have separation between them.


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Photograph by Guido Mandozzi, My Shot
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