Capture the Monet oil painting vibe｜The pink-purple sunset after the heavy rain in Suzhou is going wild

🔥 Stunning viewing spots + prediction tips

1️⃣ Precisely lock in the sunset time

✅ Clear skies after heavy rain + mid to high clouds = 80% chance of a divine sunset! (Proven effective mantra)

✅ Use Lijing Weather APP to check sunset probability, Sun Surveyor APP to locate sunset time, and stake out 30 minutes early!

📍 Recommended spots: Jinji Lake (for mirror reflections), Top floor of the Gate to the East (overlooking city glow), Taihu Bridge (telephoto compression effect)

2️⃣ Composition tricks · Instantly cinematic

→ Rule of thirds: Horizon placed in the lower 1/3 of the frame, sky takes up 2/3 to highlight the glow

→ Reflection kill! Shoot mirror images in puddles after rain, doubling the sense of depth (low angle, phone lens close to the ground)

→ Framing composition: Use classical garden window frames/branches as foreground, focus on the bright parts of the clouds

------

⚙️ Phone settings · Original photo with pink-purple tone

(Tested on Android/Huawei Pro mode)

ISO 50-100➕Shutter 1/100s (handheld)➕White balance set to cloudy mode or manually adjusted to 6000K+➕Metering by tapping the brightest part of the clouds

✨ For camera users: Use 70-200mm telephoto for sun close-ups, aperture f/8-f/11, add graduated ND filter to balance light ratio

------

📷 Sunset photography guide

🌅 Basic poses · Easily capture the vibe

1️⃣ Side glance kill

🔸 Stand sideways with your back to the sunset, one hand on hip, the other touching hair or lightly brushing strands, glance back with a gentle look at the camera.

🔸 Key: Low angle shot looking up, let the sunset occupy 2/3 of the frame, hair edges glowing golden from the sunset.

2️⃣ One hand back support + hip thrust

🔸 Lean on railing or wall, support body with one hand behind, thrust hip and twist waist to show body curves, full relaxed vibe.

3️⃣ Both hands raised embracing the sky

🔸 Back to the sunset, open arms wide, body in a cross shape, as if embracing the glow, the shot feels full of freedom (wide-angle makes it more stunning).

------

🌊 Dynamic shots · Say goodbye to stiffness

1️⃣ Strolling along the shoreline

🔸 Barefoot walking in shallow water, capture when waves cover ankles, holding shoes, looking down or sideways at the sea, skirt fluttering in the wind adds liveliness.

2️⃣ Jumping interaction

🔸 Light jumps in shallow water, hands raised wide, capture splashing water moments, blur adds storytelling.

3️⃣ Lifting skirt and looking back

🔸 Pretend to lift skirt while walking forward, suddenly turn head to look down or sideways behind, avoid stiff poses, slimming and elegant.

------

✂️ Silhouette magic poses · Instantly movie star

1️⃣ Contour light close-up

🔸 Side facing camera, head tilted up looking at sky, one hand brushing hair, focus on hair strands and facial contour light (needs backlight + subject in bright area).

2️⃣ Rock silhouette

🔸 Stand on rocks with arms wide open, body outline strongly contrasted with sunset, wide-angle to include panorama.

3️⃣ Holding the sun creative shot

🔸 Sitting with both hands pretending to hold the sunset, photographer shoots from low angle looking up, creating a magical “holding the setting sun” effect.

------

🎀 Props boost · Make the scene more vivid

1️⃣ Flowing scarf/jacket

🔸 Drape a light-colored scarf, open arms to the wind, snap the moment fabric arcs, full fairy vibe.

2️⃣ Bouquet hiding face

🔸 Hold small daisies or reeds to cover half the face, showing only one eye looking at the camera, lazy yet mysterious.

3️⃣ Transparent umbrella

🔸 Hold umbrella tilted to cover half the face, water droplets on umbrella reflect sunset glow, side glance into the distance, full of detail.

------

⚠️ Key detail reminders

✔️ Outfit: Light colors (white/cream/light pink) glow in the sunset, avoid complex designs.

✔️ Time: 30 minutes before sunset → 20 minutes after sunset (golden hour + blue hour).

✔️ Composition:

◦ Place subject in lower 1/3 of frame, sky takes 2/3 to highlight glow;

◦ Use railings, branches, or window frames as foreground to add layers.

✔️ Post-processing:

◦ Xingtu filter "EK1" softens saturation, VSCO’s AU5 enhances pink-purple tones;

◦ For silhouette shots, increase shadows and add blue tones to highlight melancholy atmosphere.

------

🌈 Post-edit color grading · One-click dreamy purple

Xingtu/VSCO filters (parameters slightly adjusted per original photo):

▫️ Filter: AU5+12 → Instant Monet style

▫️ Tone: Highlights add orange + shadows add blue (core of oil painting feel!)

▫️ Curves: Red up + Blue down → Pink-purple gradient is amazing

▫️ Dehaze +20: Cloud textures instantly clear! (Overexposure fix trick)

------

💡 Hard-earned tips

⚠️ Bring a tripod! Shooting car light trails (shutter 2-4 seconds) tells a great story

⚠️ Mosquito repellent + tissue to wipe lens: Mosquitoes are fierce after heavy rain, lens easily gets wet

⚠️ Better underexpose than overexpose: Blown-out white sky can’t be fixed, dark areas can be brightened in post!

Final weather superstition call: Heavy rain clears pollution, making sunset colors explode! If it clears tomorrow, rush out immediately!