Don't Turn a Sunset into a Night Photo

Saturday 13 December 2025, 13:31 by Nando Harmsen | 2,811 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Photographing a landscape at sunset can produce a beautiful image. But don't turn it into a night photo, because the sun is still in the sky. Make sure you get a good exposure.

It's wonderful to watch the sun go down. The sky can take on beautiful colours and the landscape is bathed in warm light. You can almost never get tired of this time of day.

When you take a photo of it, you'll notice that the sun is a white spot. Colours may look a little washed out, and less intense than you remember them. That's normal, and it's down to the way the sensor works.

Underexposing brings out the colours better. Or at least, that's how it seems. But then the whole photo becomes dark. Don't do that, because the photo no longer shows reality. It isn't as dark as the photo suggests.

The colours come out beautifully. But it looks like night, because it is so dark. This is almost what moonrise looks like at night.
The sun is still in the sky and is lighting the landscape. In reality, it isn't nearly as dark as it is in the photo.

This is a good exposure. The sun is blown out, but that's normal. The sun is simply that bright.
Show that it is a sunset, and that the sun is lighting the landscape and the sky. If you want to see the colours in the landscape as you experience them, achieve that with good post-processing. Whatever you do, make sure the landscape isn't dark.

The colours need to come out naturally, as does the contrast in the sky and the landscape. Do that in post-processing.
If you zoom in on the sun, you need to pay attention to this too. You can set the exposure for the sun, but that results in a very dark landscape. That's not a problem, because you can correct it in post-processing. Just make sure you do that.

Exposing for the sun causes underexposure. The sun is simply that bright. This isn't reality, because it isn't dark. This is what the Moon would look like when it rises at night.
With carefully considered editing, you can show both the colours of the sun and the light in the landscape. But make sure the light is right. The sun is bright, and that needs to come through in the photo if you want it to look realistic.

Good post-processing shows reality. As long as the sun is in the sky, the landscape is lit. It isn't dark.
Of course, there is never a problem with accentuating light and dark. It creates atmosphere. But make sure the photo is suitable for it, and that the light is right. Don't simply underexpose it.

Light and dark are fine, of course. But don't simply underexpose and think it's good. Post-processing is obviously necessary, and you can then adjust it entirely to your taste.
One final word of warning. Only use a telephoto lens to photograph the sun when it is extremely low on the horizon. Preferably when the light is softened by thin veiled cloud.

The extremely bright sunlight can damage your sensor or, even worse, your eyes. Keep that in mind.

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