Explore with Me 002 | Sunset Silhouettes

| Allison

Hello, dears!

It feels like I haven’t done a sunset post in AGES! Remember when I used to do them all the time? I should get back into photographing them more because ahhh! Sunsets! Enough said.

Before we start, a note: I made this series to motivate myself (and you!) to get outside even on days when it seems so much more productive and useful to stay in front of the computer. I don’t know about you, but can only stare at a screen for so long before my brain starts getting frizzy. :’D So! I shall take you with me on a walk around our farm, adding in a little twist or art/photography prompt that you can try too. 🙂

Today we’ll be looking for interesting ways to capture the colors of sunsets other than just taking a picture of the sunset itself. (Future Allison: LIKE FRED! AND AUGUSTUS!)

Ahem. Onwards!

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Before we get fancy (heh, not really), we gotta start with the basics, right? Here’s the sunset we’re working with. AHHH ISN’T IT BEAUTEOUS?

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Does it ever strike you as wonderful how the sky is the only part of nature that can be white, gray, blue, orange, pink, purple, yellow, red, and black all in one day?! I mean, seriously, what other thing can change colors that drastically and regularly? God is amazing to give us such a glorious reason to look up. 🙂

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Now. I sometimes notice the colors of a sunset better if the clouds are blurred out in the background – kind of the opposite of how form and structure stand out more prominently in black and white photos than in color. So! I started looking for objects to focus my camera lens on, and found this tulip poplar leaf! And ahh, I love the way this looks!

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I may have had too much fun with this… I just love how clearly you can see the shape of the leaf, but it’s like a fall sky instead of a fall leaf!

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I LOVE THIS ONEEEEE. Somehow this leaf just seems like a Fred to me. I dub thee Fred. *nods* Seriously, though, I recommend looking for imperfect leaves or ones with tons of holes because they let the color shine through like stars, and I just think the effect is amazing.

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Hmm, this one is… Augustus. I’m afraid he’s not very photogenic, the poor thing. A bit too lumpy around the edges, wouldn’t you say?

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This is Timmy because that seems like a good name for a tiny leaf. (WHY AM I NAMING LEAVES? I have no idea, other than IT’S FUN.) Also oh my, now I really want to take a hole puncher or something and give a leaf a smiley face! :’D If anyone does that, TELL ME.

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This is a hard one… it needs to be something majestic and elegant because of the amazingly intricate shape of this oak leaf. Hmm. Aha! How does Prince William sound? :’D The intricate edges remind me of a crown… maybe? I don’t know, you’ll have to help me out with this one 😛

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Wow, this post is not going in the direction I expected it to. O.o Ahem. I shall attempt to be normal again. That’s it for naming leaves leaf silhouettes; let’s move on to other ideas. Winter or late fall provides plenty of dried weeds or bare twigs which make for great silhouettes! If I took the leaves off, this would kinda look like one of those African trees in the Serengeti – you know? No? Apparently I have a strong imagination today. *shakes head*

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Ahh, I love this one! Who knew dead weeds could look so delicate and beautiful?

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Nope, we don’t have any horizontally-growing trees on our farm. I just had to make sure you’re still awake. 😀 I like the way the colors look in this direction, though.

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You don’t have to just do silhouettes of things you can hold (I mean obviously). People make great silhouettes too, but if you’re by yourself, you can try trees, buildings, houses, etc.

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Oooohhh, aren’t the muted colors of this one so pretty? Whatever silhouette you choose, go for something that’s isolated so you can clearly see its shape. A far-away forest just doesn’t have the same impact as this single, messy-haired pine tree.

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You can also use the reflection of sunsets to create silhouettes. Find a puddle crossed by twigs or something similar, then try a few different angles to best capture the reflected color.

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Puddles in general are an excellent asset to sunset photography. They integrate the colorful sky with the blacked-out ground in a way that breaks up the predictable format of a silhouette. (Woooow that sounded scholarly.)

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Try getting close to the puddle and focusing on it rather than the sky for even more interest – it’s like the sky in the puddle is the real one, and the blurred out background is the reflection. Also you’ll probably have to crouch down pretty low to capture the color since the horizontal angle of the water will  reflect straight up otherwise.

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And that’s all I have for you today, my friends! I hope this slightly weird post motivated you to go outside and experiment with sunset pictures today or whenever the next pretty one arrives. 🙂 And seriously, if someone makes a leaf face silhouette, I WANT TO SEE IT. Tag me on Instagram @thecolorboxstudio or something. XD

What’s your favorite way to photograph sunsets? What should I call the first two nameless leaves? And wasn’t Fred the best one?

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D3400 and a 35mm lens. Edited with picmonkey.com.

53 thoughts on “Explore with Me 002 | Sunset Silhouettes”

  6. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! XD Allison, you are SO FUNNY! LOL! 🙂 I laughed my way through this post! I LOVED all the names you gave…..excuse me….the leaf silhouette pictures!!! THE NAMES WERE PERFECT!!! And YES!!! When I saw that one picture I thought…”Wow! This looks just like one of those African Trees,” and then I read your comment about it and though, “OH! She thought the same thing!!!” 😀 HEHE! Anyway, thanks again for another wonderful post!!! Can wait for the next one!!! 😉

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  11. ALL OF THESE ARE SO PRETTY! Sunsets are the best. 😀 And that pine tree silhouette is so cool! I love the puddle reflections too, and you’re definitely not the only one that thinks the dead weeds look to dainty and pretty as silhouettes. They fit fit the scenery perfectly. 🙂 And the horizontal pic was so cool! The sunset does look really unique and pretty that way!
    And it’s okay, forming attachments to inanimate objects runs in my family, so I don’t think it’s weird to name leaves. XD

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    1. AWW THANK YOUUU. They sure are! Ooh, I like that one too. Hee hee, well GOOD. Yeah!
      BAHAHA. XD Well thanks for understanding. XD XD Even if I did just discard the leaves after I photographed them. O.o 😛

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  16. okay, so first of all, you are like one of the best photographers i know <3<3<3 your photos are always so motivational and inspire me to try new perspectives and take out my camera. thank you sooo much for that, allison!!

    sunsets are so gorgeously diverse and you can never tire of taking pictures of them 😉 i've always wanted to do this series where i travel around the world and take photos of all thie different sunsets- it sounds so dreamy!

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  19. fred?!?! who said FRED WAS THE BEST ONE? prince william clearly doesn’t get enough credit!

    also, “Nope, we don’t have any horizontally-growing trees on our farm. I just had to make sure you’re still awake. 😀 I like the way the colors look in this direction, though.” — that made me grin like crazy. XD there’s absolutely no fall here, but the walks are beautiful, and i shall take one in the daytime in honor of prince william. 🙂

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    1. Well… well fine, Prince William is nice too. It’s just, Fred has so much CHARACTER. And Prince William is so perfect!

      HAHAHAHA YAY. Oh shucks. Ooh yay, I am most glad to hear that! And hopefully you’ll find a worthy contestant to Prince William’s beauty. *nods*

      (Also except for the no fall thing… how is life there? I’m praying for you, dear! ❤ )

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      1. XD one day!

        (life? that’s a loaded question. 🙂 it’s very foreign (ha) despite feeling familiar, it’s loaded yet with a dozen gaps of time where it’s just so quiet, it’s a little lonely with so many people, but it’s good. it’s really, really good. i’m trying to figure out exactly what i’m meant to do here, and, well, i haven’t found that yet, but i believe it’ll come any time soon. 🙂 thank you so much for your prayers, it’s truly meant a lot. how’s yours been lately?)

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        1. (Oh goodness, I know. Thank you EVER so much for the mini update. I loved hearing from you! Keep it up, dear. Keep it up. My life has been good, too – pretty busy lately with farming stuff and church events and barn dances and art classes, but that’s fine with me! I’m happy. 🙂 Thank you for asking! ❤ )

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  22. AHHHH!! THESE ARE SO PRETTY!! *heart eyes* Those are some lovely leaf names! *claps* I think my favorite pictures are the puddle reflections!! 😀 😀 To answer your questions: I really like to do silhouette pictures! The first leaf should be named Wilbur! XD Fred was the the best leaf for sure! I really enjoyed seeing all of these beautiful pictures!! Awesome post!! 😀

    -Laura ❤ 🙂

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    1. AHHH THANK YOUUU! Hee hee, why THANKS. *bows* I like the puddle reflections too. 🙂 That’s so neat that you do silhouettes as well! OOH, Wilbur is a great name. *nods* And YAYY FOR FRED. I’m so happy you liked the post, dear! 🙂

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