April 2021

WORKING WITH SuNSeT fOR a STuNNING SIlHOueTTe Sunset is a fantastic time for beautiful, golden hour shots and is an excellent opportunity to utilize the available light to create stunning silhouettes. This Type of shooT Takes perfecT Timing and precision A few days before the session, I went to William Frederick Hayden Park at Green Mountain in Golden, Colorado, to scope out the landscape, hiking time, and sun position. I knew it was essential to familiarize myself with the location and the precise time of sunset. On the day of the session, we met two hours before sunset, ready to hike up the trail. I timed the arrival at the shooting location between 40 and 50 minutes before sunset. Arriving early allowed us time to talk about the goals, double-check angles, test posing options, and take a few photos with the available light. It was essential to have every detail established as I knew we would only have about 10 minutes of shooting time when the sun hit the mountains. leT’s now Talk abouT The deTails of This session I exposed for the clouds and sky, checked my photo, then slightly underexposed to make the scene more dramatic. Exposing for the available light will automatically underexpose the model during sunset or ‘dim light,’ creating a beautiful silhouette. I changed my white balance from 5,000 to 6,100 to add slightly more orange and red hues to the sky. I created the soft glow around the model by placing the sun directly behind her, at her neckline (position of the sun is an individual choice). I used the mountains to create a silhouetted horizontal line through her upper torso, producing the blackness below. By shooting at this angle, I purposely achieved ‘halo’ light around her arms and dress edges, which stood out against the black area. I asked her to pose as practiced beforehand, and the results, well, you be the judge. “It’s not the camera. It’s the artist behind it.” - Rich Taylor www.richtaylorphotography.com FB: richtaylorphotography | IG: richtaylorphoto Nikon D750 | 160MM | iso : 100 | 1 f : 2.8 | 1 s : 3200 | 1 wb : 5500 08 09