Tips for taking sunset photography

1. Timing – Get to your location about an hour before sunset. You can also capture some great shots an hour after sunset as well. Pick your location before you get there. I like to scope out an area before I shoot, so I can be prepared.

2. Equipment – You can take pictures hand-held an hour before or during the sunset. Use a tripod for longer exposures (i.e. an hour after sunset when it starts getting darker).

3. Settings – Experiment with different settings. You can try a wider aperture (f/stop) for a brighter picture or a smaller aperture for a darker picture. Try a higher ISO for a brighter picture or a lower ISO for a darker picture. Remember, a lower f/stop creates shallow depth-of-field, a higher f/stop creates full depth-of-field.

4. Composition – Make sure you have a strong composition. Experiment with different angles and directions. I find it helps to have a focal point. If you are shooting a scene that is pretty flat, get down low with your camera and capture some of the ground to gain greater depth.

5. Lighting – Keep the location of the sun in mind, as this is your light source. You can shoot a scene facing the sunset to catch vibrant colors, or shoot with the sunset behind you or to the side and let the light illuminate your scene that way. Again, experimentation will yield the best results.

Sunset photography

Photos taken at the Pennybecker Bridge, Pflugerville Lake, and Big Bend National Park.

Aperture: f/10, Shutter speed: 1/250, ISO 220

Aperture: f/4.5, Shutter speed: 1/80, ISO 800

Aperture: f/10, Shutter speed: 1/250, ISO 220

Top smartphones with the best cameras

I’ve always preferred to use digital SLR cameras for my photography. However, smartphones are easy to carry and always at your fingertips. Luckily, there are some smartphone cameras out there that can take high-quality images. Here are my top three recommendations for smartphones with the best cameras:

1. Samsung Galaxy K zoom – takes photos at 20.7 MP, image size up to 5248 х 3936 pixels, has an auto/manual focus, 10x optical zoom (24-240mm), optical image stabilization, and Xenon & LED flash. It also has touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, panorama capabilities. 

2. Samsung Galaxy S5 - takes photos at 20 MP, image size up to 4992 х 3744 pixels, optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, and LED flash. It also has touch focus, face detection, HDR and panorama capabilities. 

3. Apple iPhone 6 – takes photos at 8 MP, image size up to 3264 x 2448 pixels, phase detection autofocus, and dual-LED (dual tone) flash. It also has touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR and panorama capabilities. 

Wildlife photography

Photos taken at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio, Texas.

Aperture: f/5.6, Shutter speed: 1/500, ISO 400

Aperture: f/5.6, Shutter speed: 1/500, ISO 250

Aperture: f/5.6, Shutter speed: 1/1000, ISO 400