How to shoot Sunsets/Sunrises

[sovietdoc]

I am trying to get into Sunset/Sunrise photgraphy and just wanted to know how to "do it right". I am sure everyone has seen those "dark orange/red" photos that are shot straight against the sun, and there are no flares and the picture looks silky smooth from sky to ground, with awesome yellow to black gradient.

So for starters, I can't get a shot like that with no flare. Do I need some sort of filter on my lens? ND?

Then, I am trying to use a tripod while camera is at 100 ISO and long exposure. Does that seem the right idea for the shot?

If I am on one side of a lake, trying to shoot a mountain with a lake underneath it, what's the best aperture to use? I've tried f11 but it's not turning out well. Where should I set my focus point to? I am trying to focus in the middle, about 1/3 of the shot on the part of the lake thats closest to me, so that small aperture takes care of DOF but it doesn't turn out well at all. The forest on the other side of the lake and mountain seem OOF.


Any tips are greatly appreciated.

 

[analog.universe]

Flare is a matter of lens design. No filter will be able to reduce, but some may actually make it worse (generally the ones with cheaper coatings).

Tripod and ISO 100 is correct.

To get the even lighting from ground to sky, you'll need a graduated ND filter. One half of it is darkened, and the other is transparent, so you can tone the sky down a little without affecting the exposure of the ground.

The aperture that you need to use will vary depending on focal length. You can consult a DOF table (like this one: Depth of Field Table) to find out exactly how much field you get at various aperture/focal length combinations. At 11mm, f/8 is usually more than enough. At 85mm, sometimes even f/22 won't get you what you're looking for.

 

[MReid]

Make sure your lenses are CLEAN.
F11 should work unless you have something very close in the foreground, then use F16, try not to go past that unless you are very close to something and you want it in focus, for ex. with a wide angle vertical landscape.
Focus about 1/3 of the way into the scene, for the f11 type shots.
Focus about 20 percent into the scene with the f16 type shots.

If you have a tripod...of course you do...you can check focus by putting it on Manual focus and running your focus point through the area you want in focus and making sure the round "in focus" circle stays solid throughout the region you want in focus.

Ditto the Grad filter....or you can do it in processing by taking 2 or 3 fixed shots throughout the exposure range and combining them.

Filters can sometimes add to the glare problem. Having the sun very close to the top of the frame also adds to your chance of flare.

 

[timethief]

Which lenses and focal lengths do you generally use for your landscape shots ?

 

[jwbryson1]

Underexpose by 2/3 of a stop. Maybe more.

 

[KmH]

Tell why.

 

[Dom6663]

Underexpose by 2/3 of a stop. Maybe more.

Question related to this.

My understanding is that JPEG files hold more information in the highlight portion of the channels. Meaning it is better to slightly overexpose so that more information is saved to the highlight area of your image, without clipping of course, then you process the image to bring the highlights down. Ultimately increasing your dynamic range...

Now my question is, does the RAW file type record data in a similar way? I know that the depth of each channel stores much more information, so it would seem negligible to overexpose. I have found that by overexposing 1/3 of a stop and then processing down gives me a much nicer result then if I were to underexpose and try to process up (which makes sense because your adding artificial light in post processing instead of removing light)

Could anyone answer this?

 

[photographyxfactor]

Shoot at a variety of focal lengths – wide angle can create sweeping landscape shots but if you want the sun itself to be a feature of the shot you’ll want to be able to zoom right in.
Shoot at a variety of exposures - if you let your camera decide what shutter length to shoot at you’re likely to get a shot that doesn’t really capture the beauty of the light. Quite often the shot will be under exposed because the sky is still reasonably light.

Take camera out of Auto White balance mode – when you set your camera to ‘Auto’ in it’s white balance mode you run the risk of losing some of the warm golden tones of a sunrise or sunset.

Keep Shooting – A sunset or sunrise constantly changes over time and can produce great colors well after the sun goes down or appears so keep shooting at different exposures and focal lengths.

​

 

[bazooka]

Underexpose by 2/3 of a stop. Maybe more.

Question related to this.

My understanding is that JPEG files hold more information in the highlight portion of the channels. Meaning it is better to slightly overexpose so that more information is saved to the highlight area of your image, without clipping of course, then you process the image to bring the highlights down. Ultimately increasing your dynamic range...

Now my question is, does the RAW file type record data in a similar way? I know that the depth of each channel stores much more information, so it would seem negligible to overexpose. I have found that by overexposing 1/3 of a stop and then processing down gives me a much nicer result then if I were to underexpose and try to process up (which makes sense because your adding artificial light in post processing instead of removing light)

Could anyone answer this?

I don't know about data distribution... if it behaves the same as jpgs or not. However, exposing to the right (assuming you are not clipping highlights and you are at base ISO) is still beneficial in raw as in jpg because you are increasing your signal to noise ratio.

 

[Dom6663]

Underexpose by 2/3 of a stop. Maybe more.

Question related to this.

My understanding is that JPEG files hold more information in the highlight portion of the channels. Meaning it is better to slightly overexpose so that more information is saved to the highlight area of your image, without clipping of course, then you process the image to bring the highlights down. Ultimately increasing your dynamic range...

Now my question is, does the RAW file type record data in a similar way? I know that the depth of each channel stores much more information, so it would seem negligible to overexpose. I have found that by overexposing 1/3 of a stop and then processing down gives me a much nicer result then if I were to underexpose and try to process up (which makes sense because your adding artificial light in post processing instead of removing light)

Could anyone answer this?

I don't know about data distribution... if it behaves the same as jpgs or not. However, exposing to the right (assuming you are not clipping highlights and you are at base ISO) is still beneficial in raw as in jpg because you are increasing your signal to noise ratio.

Thanks!

 

[jaksontycoon]

7 Steps to Perfect Sunset & Sunrise Photos




Step 1 – Scouting: Sounds basic enough but this step is very important. It will save you a lot of time if you plan ahead and look for that perfect spot. Once you find a great rural or urban scape for your sunset and sunrise shots, don’t forget to look at where east and west are (sunrise & sunset respectively) and see if your perfect shot can be done. Also look at what times the sun actually rises and sets. The local weather station should be able to give you that information.




Step 2 – Setting your white balance (WB): This is a challenging one if you think that just selecting one WB setting will be perfect. The reason is simple. As the sun sets (or rises) the warmth of the light changes and if the warmth changes, the WB will change as well. Some photographers will put their WB to daylight by default and this usually gives nice warm tones. If you have a camera with presets, you might find a ‘sunset’ preset. Use it because it has a preset WB setting just for this situation (usually close to daylight). If you shoot in RAW format (which I recommend if your camera gives you the option) you can manually adjust the WB in most photo post processing software like Adobe Photoshop™ or Lightroom™. Since I shoot in RAW, I don’t want to have to worry about changing my WB settings constantly so I keep it on Auto. I actually find the Auto setting on my Nikon D300 (and my previous D200) to be quite accurate. If you want to get a specific mood, I suggest that you take some test shots at various WB settings and look at what your camera’s LCD gives you.


Step 3 – Composition: As for any shots, composition plays a major role in your photography. For sunsets, we have a tendency to shoot in landscape format (horizontal) and that’s good but I can also suggest to take a few shots in portrait mode (vertical). It will give you a new perspective that could be interesting. We also usually center the sun by default so lets try applying the rule of 3rds and off-centering both the sun and the horizon. Last but not least, try to keep your shot simple. Avoid too many unwanted clutter in your frame. Remember what the focus of your shot is. For more information on composition click here to visit Jodie Coston’s tutorial. It’s simple and to the point.




Step 4 – Exposure: If you’re looking for rich vibrant colors, try underexposing your shot between 1 and 2 stops. You can do that easily if you have an EV (Exposure Value) button on your camera. Just bring it down to -1 and see if you need to go lower. It’s a question of personal taste at this point. To create a different effect, you could try overexposing your shot. This will give you more pastel looking colors. In some situations, it can give a great feel to the image.




Step 5 – Don’t look straight at the sun!: That’s very important. We don’t naturally look directly at the sun but with a camera, looking through the viewfinder, we are instinctively prone to take our time and compose our shot. Try to compose quickly and when doing so, not looking directly at the sun in your frame. Focus your eye on the foreground or another object in the frame. You could cause irreversible damage even complete blindness.




Step 6 – Don’t leave with the sun: Most people will get their shots while the sun is still visible and then pack up and leave. Ok, you got some good shots, but Mother Nature hasn’t finished painting her canvas just yet! Some of the richest colors can occur after the sun has set (or before it rises). You can get great silhouette shots by underexposing them. Bring your tripod along as well as it will get darker pretty quickly and you’ll need longer shutter speeds




Step 7 – Look behind you: Yes, you heard me right. Turn around and see where that lovely sun is painting. You just might find a surprisingly beautiful scene. It could be a wheat field like seems on fire or a reflection in a window. Remember that the best light to shoot in is when the sun is at its lowest (ie: sunset & sunrise). So snoop over your shoulderand you might just find your perfect shot of the da

 

[spacefuzz]

Your going to want to (have to) shoot in RAW for the flexability it provides both with exposure and white balance. I generally bracket my shots and depending on the lens shoot a starburst or try to avoid it (ultra wide lens starbursts can look funny if they are too far off center). GNDs are awesome, and how you use them changes with every scene. But they offer additional flexability and anything you can get in a single shot is almost always nicer than trying to HDR it.

Also show up early and stay late. Depending on the clouds etc some of the nicest light can be an 30-60 minutes on either side of a sunset/sunrise.

Check out the pictureline blog for today: How I Got That Shot – Marc Muench - pictureline
I used the same type of multi shot stitch with this image:

 

[Alex_B]

Which lenses and focal lengths do you generally use for your landscape shots ?

Anything between 17mm on full frame to 300mm.

It really depends on how I want my composition.

 

[sovietdoc]

Thanks guys, I'll try the new tips once I go out to shoot in early May. I am just asking right now so I have time to experiment and get my workflow ready for a real season.

For those asking, I will be shooting at 24mm most likely, and yes, I always shoot RAW.


I was kinda scared of filters because I used UV filter on my lens before and I was getting mad flare even if the sun wasn't anywhere near my lens. Someone suggested to me try and shoot without it, and it was a lot better.



As someone pointed out, I have to take the camera off AWB. I always used auto white balance, but sometime shooting sunset panorama's I noticed how some shots were different than others. That's probably why the colors were all messed up. Can anyone tell me how to set custom white balances? Something to do with shooting a white piece of paper? Sorry I've never dealt with WB so I am completely new here. I just shot on "standard" preset with AWB on my old Canon 500D.