FriendshipGarden

GardenTalker · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:50 pm Post subject: Shooting Sunrises and Sunsets

Pro tips are from the Webshots newsletter.

Taking photos of sunrises and sunsets is popular any time of the year, so if your New Year’s resolution is to bring more sunshine into your portfolio, here’s a few tips to get you started.

Know Before You Go
You could leave it all to luck, but I suggest preparing beforehand if you want that stunning shot. Start by scoping out the location ahead of time and look for items that could make for an interesting foreground. For instance, palm trees and pools of water can add more depth to the shot. Next, pay attention to where the sun will rise and set at your location, and watch the weather reports—clear skies are wonderful, but clouds or even pollution (dust particles) will produce an even more spectacular array of color.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm (and the Shot!)
On the day of the shoot, arrive at the location at least 30 minutes before sunrise or sunset so you can set up and capture the moment as it happens. Remember that often the most colorful shots are taken when the sun is below the horizon (just before rising or just after sunset), so don’t pack up too early or arrive late!

Gear Up
When taking sunrise and sunset photos, you’ll likely use a longer exposure, so it’s important to bring along your tripod. To set up your shot, place your camera on the tripod, set the mode to Aperture Priority (AV), and if you don’t own a cable release, set the timer to a few seconds. Please be careful if you’re using a viewfinder as it’s very dangerous to look directly into the sun.
Next, set your aperture to the desired depth of field—I’d recommend using f/8, f/11, f/16 or f/22 and then let the camera set the exposure for you. Feel free to play with the Exposure Compensation button (+/-) to lighten or darken your shots. Don’t rely on the camera’s LCD completely for an accurate exposure—for shots like this, it’s best to bracket the exposures. Also, if you want to achieve warmer tones, be sure to turn off the auto White Balance setting.

Create Your Masterpiece
When composing your image, keep the Rule of Thirds in mind. For sunset and sunrise photos specifically, you can turn to silhouettes, which are very popular focal points as they add context and a sense of mood to the scene. The above photos, for example, is a great example of how using silhouettes along the edge of the frame can add more depth to a composition. Other ideas include placing the horizon off-center for more interesting results—but watch out for crooked horizons by making sure you keep them straight in the scene.

Finishing Touches
If you’re photographing a person in the foreground of your sunrise or sunset, turn your flash on and stand within a few feet of your subject so the flash will be close enough to compensate for the added background light.
I’m also a big fan of using graduated neutral density filters, which are darker at the top and lighter at the bottom, and come in different densities. These types of filters don’t add color but simply balance the exposure, so the foreground detail can be recorded.

Learn More
Want to know more about graduated neutral density filters? Check out this helpful article http://www.great-landscape-photography.com...ed-filters.html