Living in San Diego, we see sunsets all the time and most of them are beautiful. People come from all over the world to visit our lovely city. Some come for the activities, beaches, sites, weather, and natural beauty and this includes our sunsets. But shooting sunset in San Diego, requires a little patience and planning.
Depending on what type of shot you are looking for, will determine which lens you will use. By all means bring your lens arsenal, just in case. For close ups, I would recommend bring a Zoom lens. To capture the surrounding area and beauty, I would bring a Medium Telephoto Zoom lens. Remember to arrive early, you don’t want to show up, just as the sun is setting and have to fight the crowd and setup your camera, just to get one or two shots. Trust me, I did that last weekend, but I wasn’t planning on photographing any sunsets.
Scout out the area a day or two beforehand where you will be setting up or should I say waiting. (You may have an idea of where you favorite beach is, so use it.)
Clean and inventory your equipment the day before. You don’t want to arrive on location, just to find out that your lenses have seen better days or your forgot to bring extra batteries. Remember my slogan Be Prepared, because you never know what will go wrong.
Bring a tripod or monopod. I know lugging a tripod around is not fun and looks kind of dorky, but you will thank me. A monopod works fine, and may be quicker to maneuver.
Bring a remote shutter release. They are worth their weight in gold.
Pick the right lens for the job. If you are far away bring a telephoto lens, if you are a bit close a wide angle lens might be better.
Bring a small flashlight, because you may need to make some camera adjustments or maybe you accidently dropped something. Don’t stress this one too much, because there’s an App for that.
Bring a chair. Chances are you since you arrived early, you will be waiting for a while.
Bring drinks or snacks. Let’s face it, it is summertime and one of the hottest days of the year, so keep hydrated.
Make sure you arrive early. I know it’s going to be boring just sitting there. You always have your phone on you, so take some selfies. Just don’t do a Duckface.
Like anything, if you haven’t done it before, practice. It is ok not to get it the first time. We are shooting in the digital age and film is free. The only thing it cost you is your time, gas, and maybe a few coins for the parking meter, if you have to.
I hope I have not bored you too much. I had a lot of fun writing this one like all of my blogs. I trust I have given you some valuable tips to think about, before planning your next shoot. It’s not all bad, just be clear and informative, it will save you a lot of headaches. Remember nothing is set in stone and there is not a perfect formula, so go out and have some fun.
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