The best part of living in Florida, its sunset & twilight views - Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/8 ISO 200 10 sec on Induro CT214 tripod with Nikon MC-30 cable releaseIf you are a photographer living in Florida, very likely you will, at least at first, be most drawn to photographing the magnificent twilight and sunset skies Nature provides on a daily basis. The time of the transition from day to night is my favorite part of the 24-hour day cycle. I have a fantastic view of this from my back patio, but to be honest, I do not take advantage of it enough. In summer with the later sunset time, it is easier as I often take Kiki for our evening walk between 8pm and 8:30pm. Now back in regular time, with sunsets coming before 6pm, our walks are in all darkness, but those provide stargazing opportunities.
Vivid twilight photographs are not difficult to make. All you need are:
- a western view (or eastern if clouds available to reflect twilight)
- a sturdy tripod
- the correct shutter speed to pull the most color from the sky
The DSLR and the lens used do not matter that much. The sturdy tripod eliminates problems of camera shake resulting in blur. The correct shutter speed eliminates exposure problems, but since you are using a very long exposure, there is a wide range of choices depending on one's desired results of a brighter or darker twilight image. So unlike many other types of photography, the margin for error in twilight shooting is far greater than say a sunset portrait.