Prepare for Great Sunset Photos

Unless it's raining or very cloudy there are two visual miracles happening each day: sunrise and sunset. Capturing great sunrise or sunset photos is fun and somewhat easy--after all, nature does much of the creative handiwork for you. But you can improve your sunsets enormously if you "hang" that pretty sky over an interesting and simple foreground. The time to start scouting sunsets is early in the afternoon when you have time to spare; once the sun begins to set, the colorful sky show happens very quickly, so you want to be ready. One trick a lot of pros use is to carry a compass with them so that--even in strange locations--you can predict where the sun will set. Just figure out where west is, find a simple foreground and wait for the drama to begin.