This is one of my favorite paintings from the 30 Faces 30 Days Challenge. It was also painted alla prima.
Tips for painting a straightforward sunset
One thing virtually every photographer has in common is a love of beautiful sunsets. Predicting where and how to capture a sunset of stunning quality is not always luck; it is a skill that can be acquired with a little know-how and some experience.
The following factors are helpful in helping you predict if a sunset will be beautiful or not. The air should be clean with relatively low humidity, and the best sunsets typically happen when you have mid and high-level clouds covering around 25% to 60% of the evening sky.
Having some quick tips in your photographer’s tool belt is good but getting stunning shots comes from leveraging the basics into a robust process. And knowing what you expect from your sunset photography is the other half of the equation. Some of the best sunset photographs have been taken before, and even after, the actual sunset itself so always be prepared to hang around for a bit after the main event.
The golden hour
You may have heard this term before. It refers to that special time of day when the light is softer and more golden than at other times. The period referred to is after sunrise and before sunset. This time frame does not mean that wonderfully rich and beautiful shots cannot be had at other times. But the golden hour is a good time to be at a location and begin your preparation and shooting. It also gives you plenty of time to be ready for sunset itself.
Seasonal considerations
Seasons play a huge part in the type of sunsets you get so doing some research on the location you are shooting will help you immensely. If you are working to capture sunsets in and around your familiar stomping grounds, then you will have an excellent working knowledge of what to expect from season to season. Knowing this is incredibly beneficial to your photography because you have built-in your predictive process unconsciously. If you are on a trip or are shooting somewhere new, be sure to access the local weather apps and do some research as they will fill in some blanks for you. You may already be doing this on your home front, which is always good practice.
Most professional photographers agree that winter is the best time to capture sunsets. The reason for this is that for one, the sun is low in the sky for the majority of the day which gives a beautiful low light extenuating shadows. It also means that sunset is at a reasonable hour rather than late at night. But most importantly the crisp, cold air helps air quality which has a huge impact on sunset shots.
Is Alla Prima The Same As Wet-In-Wet?
Technically, it is not. This sort of blew my mind because I thought the terms were interchangeable. I know I’ve made that mistake in some of the other articles I’ve published in the past. However, alla prima and wet-in-wet are used interchangeably by artists today all the time, so I’m not going to worry about it too much.
Painters do paint wet-in-wet while painting alla prima. However, the wet-in-wet technique is a little different in that it doesn’t have to be done all in one sitting. Oil paints can stay wet for days, allowing an artist to paint wet-in-wet over multiple sittings.
This painting by John Singer Sargent painting Claude Monet was painted all in one sitting outside. Image Wikimedia Commons.
I’ve done paintings from life over a three to four hour period which would qualify as an alla prima painting. However, painting a subject over several days before the paint dries is when the term “wet-in-wet” is more technically accurate.
Is Alla Prima The Same as Direct Painting?
According to Gamblin, direct painting is a “method of painting used to make paintings in a single application”. Gamblin also says that alla prima is a “method of direct painting in a single paint layer”. Hmmm. Gamblin seems to be saying that the direct method includes alla prima, but doesn’t say they are exactly the same thing. It’s a little vague.
After reading how other artists talk about the direct method of painting, it sounds like the direct method includes alla prima and is the same as wet-in-wet. The artist Sadie Valerie says that she does her direct method of painting over a couple of days.
Her video on the direct method vs the indirect method is short and informative:
For both alla prima and the direct method, the painting is done quickly with each brushstroke being deliberate, accurate in color and value application, and has a spontaneous quality.
Is Alla Prima The Same As Au Premier Coup?
As I was researching this subject, the term “au premier coup” kept popping up. This is a French term that translates to “in the first shot”. Alla prima translated from Italian means “at first attempt”, so I think we can safely assume that both of these terms mean the same thing. If I find out otherwise, I will let you know.
Plein air translated from French means outdoors. While many plein air painters will paint their entire painting in one sitting, some will finish their paintings back in the studio.
When painting his famous Haystacks series, Monet would set up multiple canvases to capture the atmospheric changes at various times of the day. He would haul out his canvases and supplies daily and work on the canvas that most represented the time of day and atmospheric conditions present.
Monet Haystacks at Sunset – a plein air painting most likely finished in the studio
Although Monet painted his first impressions outdoors, he would finish off his paintings in his studio to add contrast and solidify color harmonies.
So some plein air paintings are technically alla prima, but not all of them are. The Haystack series do not qualify.
