Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach, California - Pictured above is a family posed for a photo at sunset with the Huntington Beach Pier as their backdrop. They are wearing shorts and are barefoot on a December evening. 

The weather is generally fairly nice that time of year and lends to great holiday portraits.  The spectacular colors of the sunset you see in the photo will not be so prominent in their picture because the photographer is facing south toward the darker sky with muted tones. They could have captured a more dynamic image by going to the south side of the pier and shooting into the setting sun from there. While still having the pier in their picture, the colors would have been dynamic.

The color does not have to be as strong as shown in this photo, however. When the photographer changes his angle by a few degrees, the color will change in the image, as well. For backlit or evening portraits, it often helps to use flash fill. The trick when doing so is to have the camera and photographer fairly close to the subjects so that the flash will compensate for the difference between the dark faces in the shade and the glowing sun behind them, setting beyond the silhouette of pier pilings.  It is a suggestion that may help you when you seek the most dynamic image you can capture. When time permits, you can try several "set ups" and see which you prefer in the final analysis.

 Debbie Stock is an award winning photographer who recently won an international award for the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau. She has a degree in Photojournalism from the University of Kansas.