It seems like everybody loves looking at beautiful sunsets, which is probably why sunset photography is such a competitive niche. Let's look at some simple techniques that will help you to photograph truly stunning sunset images, the kind that stand out from the crowd.

Sunset Photography Rule #1: Protect your Eyes and Camera

It is dangerous to your eyes and to your camera's image sensor to point your camera directly at a bright yellow sun. Using a long lens or optical zoom will magnify the damaging effects. Play it safe and get the better picture by waiting until the sun is sinking below the horizon or is a dark red.

Sunset Photography Rule #2: Capture the Intense Colors

Ever take a beautiful brilliant sunset and then see it on your computer and wonder what happened to the bright colors? Usually the problem is the camera's auto white balance. While your human eyes appreciate those brilliant sunset yellows, oranges, magentas and blues, the camera's automatic white balance tries to correct them, to dull them down so that they appear "normal.".The solutions are simple:

• If you have manual settings, turn off the auto white balance, and then set the white balance to the warm side.

• If your camera has a color lens setting or you are shooting with an SLR or DSLR, try some shots with the red filter selected or attached.

• Using a compact camera that doesn't have manual settings? The easiest solution is to set your camera to sunset mode. You can use this for sunrises too. Sunset mode automatically sets the white balance to keep its color balance warm. Sunset mode also helps the camera to automatically use the best focus and exposure (no flash) for this type of picture.

• None of these apply to your camera? Use Landscape mode or automatic, and then use a photo editor to adjust the white balance to reflect the brilliant colors you know were there.

• You may also want to experiment with different exposure settings or use your photo editor to darken or lighten. Be sure to make changes on a copy of the original file- never the original!

• Sometimes a slower shutter speed will work better for sunset photos so if you do, make sure to use a tripod to steady your camera.

Sunset Photography Rule #3: Capture the Best Compositions

• Use basic landscape photography techniques and patience to create stunning sunset pictures.

• Not all sunsets will make great pictures. To get a remarkable sunset picture, you need an amazing sunset. Clouds almost always make for more dramatic sunsets. These are often found with sunsets over large bodies of water.

• Give yourself time to watch the sunset and wait for the really amazing pictures.

• Take your sunset photos in areas where you're free from clutter or distractions like power lines and buildings (unless you intend to have the building as part of your photo).

• Provide context and scale by composing your shots with something in the foreground such as silhouetted palms, a lone pine, a boat, a person. The sunset will almost always create the silhouettes, thus adding more drama to your sunset photography.

• If the sky is the most dramatic part of the sunset, compose your picture so that two thirds of it is filled with sky. If the water's reflection or silhouettes is the most interesting part of the picture, give this 2/3 of the picture's frame.

• Head to a beach where you'll find some of the best sunset pictures. Here you can watch the sun set over the horizon and your pictures will have the colorful reflections from the water. Other great places are the prairie or the desert where you can see the horizon and have extra color from the dust in the air.

This is all you need for succeeding at sunset photography so start using these tips and you'll be happily surprised at the beautiful sunset pictures you'll capture.