Photographing evening skies

 

 

There’s something about photographing evening skies that never fails to raise my spirits. Tonight, driving home into the western sunset, I had to stop to capture the ever changing canvas, so many times along the way. As the sun dropped towards the horizon the colours intensified and deepened. It was a welcome distraction from the horror that is unfolding across the world.

It could be the end of the greyest dullest day in Ireland. Then in the golden hour, light will fill the sky with colour and reveal a fresh drama. Every day a new set of brush strokes; unexpected, rolling, brief. We often call to each other in our house- Hey are you looking at that sky?!

I’ve also found that the sky changes and the whole painting transforms after the sun goes down.  So don’t rush away, there’s another miracle of the gloaming coming up. No matter where you are, I hope you are enjoying the evening skies too.

 

Getting better results

Photography is all about light. For those of you capturing the evening sky remember to adjust your settings. If you are using a phone this is usually done by tapping on the screen and swiping down, at least that’s how I do it on my iPhone. On a DSLR you can underexpose by switching to aperture priority (AV) and using the exposure compensation button. Again that’s the way I have found works best.

Also never forget to look behind you away from the sun as there are often wonderful reflections on the windows of houses, on the leaves of trees or on clouds in the sky. Never ever look into the sun through your lens. I often shoot in the direction of the sky only viewing what I am photographing on the screen.

 

Read other posts about the magic of the sky

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