Why you shouldn't pack your camera after sunset

A good sunset gives you opportunities to create many types of images: You can use the sunset light to warm the colors of objects on the landscape; you can silhouette objects in front of the setting sun; or you can photograph just the sun, perhaps with dramatic clouds above it. The possibilities are numerous.

But too many photographers then make this mistake: Immediately after the sun rests below the horizon, they pack their gear and leave the scene, thinking of all the wonderful sunset pictures they made. What those photographers are leaving behind are wonderful images they could have made with the light of dusk. Light bouncing off the sky or off clouds can still illuminate the ground enough for you to photograph, and the rapidly changing sky can still be a great background for silhouetted objects. Either way, always stay out shooting until all the light is gone.

Gum tree, Australia. Nikon F5, Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 with TC-14E teleconverter. More Pictures of Australia.

This pair of photos is a good example of the benefit of shooting at dusk. The photo above is of a eucalyptus tree in front of a warm-colored sunset in New South Wales, Australia. The photo below is of another eucalyptus tree, but this time in front of a cool-colored sky in New South Wales. They look thoroughly different, but I photographed the two frames only 20 minutes apart.

Gum tree and moon, Australia. Nikon F5, Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8. More Pictures of Australia.

That evening, after I made the first image, I almost stopped working because I was hungry and tired. But I was persistent about trying to use the post-sunset light, and my persistence was rewarded. Yes, my camera was aimed at different parts of the horizon for the two photos, but this example still shows how quickly the light can change after sunset. And it also shows the value of continuing to work even after you can no longer see the sun.

Also, remember that this same idea works in reverse at sunrise. Get to your location before dawn, and you'll likely find a nice, cool sky to use as a background for photos you can't get at any other time of day.

For another example, compare this photo of Smoky Mountain Sunset, which I made only half an hour before Smoky Mountain Dusk.