Sunset Near Vincentown New Jersey

Sunset Near Vincentown New Jersey by Richard Lewis 2014

The number one subject of photography is a sunset. Why not? They can be absolutely beautiful and they happen at a time that doesn’t require getting up early (like for a sunrise). However, that popular of a subject can become a cliche. To avoid creating another cliched photograph, you need to ask these questions:

Does the world need another one of these?

If it does, then how can I make this one better or unique to my creative voice?

Once you answer these questions it is time to set up your camera and create a great composition.

How I Did It – While driving home one evening it was becoming obvious that we were about to experience a spectacular sunset. Not wanting to create just another sunset photograph, I found a scene that I felt was fitting to the beautiful sky. Here is what I did.

  • Added a human and local element by framing the sky against the silhouette of an old early nineteenth century New Jersey farm house.
  • Showed the juxtaposition of the bands of beautiful light in the sky against the bands of snow in the field.
  • To add a sense of warmth and humanity to the image, I “digitally” turned on a warm glowing light in the farm house using Photoshop.

Avoiding a cliche means taking any subject and expressing it in your own creative voice.

Enjoy!

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