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04/28/2003 11:27:50 AM · #1 |
| I went out shooting sunset last night but was somewhat unhappy. First I came 15 minutes before sunset which is a big mistake (1 hour before sunset probably?). I took a couple of shots but when half-pressing my shutter, I was getting all this flares and sometimes really straight lines. Some of the circle spot effects are ok but I wanted eveything clear. I came across flare buster, does anyone use this? I haven't tried sunrise, I figured I will have more problems with it. The best thing though about sunset is not to go home after it sets as the color in the sky is pretty nice for more picture taking. |
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04/28/2003 11:32:03 AM · #2 |
The best times are generally about 30 minutes before, and 30 minutes afterwards.
If you can spot meter in your camera, it is best to set the exposure on part of the sky, without the sun, then reframe and shoot. (if you want a well exposed sky, and silhouetted land)
You'll get weird lines on your LCD, but they probably won't appear on the final shot - though lens flare will. You can reduce that somewhat by making sure your lens is really clean/ no grease spots etc.
It's also worth bracketting your exposure, to see how you like the shots at different exposures. |
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04/28/2003 12:17:54 PM · #3 |
| Thanks Gordon. I'll try to figure out how spot metering is done on my camera. Maybe, we also need to have a challenge for sunrise & sunset like the one we had for flora & fauna. |
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04/28/2003 12:48:48 PM · #4 |
At the time you were shooting, there is really great light on THINGS rather than the sky, perhaps. Maybe that's the time to take pictures of buildings, lakes, etc.
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04/28/2003 12:49:49 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by dsidwell:
At the time you were shooting, there is really great light on THINGS rather than the sky, perhaps. Maybe that's the time to take pictures of buildings, lakes, etc. |
That's also very true - often the best pictures are behind you when you are shooting the sunset... |
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04/28/2003 01:07:26 PM · #6 |
I love getting sunset shots. The thing I have learned is that shooting away from the sunset (always look behind you), more often than not will give you great results. ie: Sunset on Bog'O'Bodan (this one was basically at a right angle from the sunset), //www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=18843 in the Flora challenge and the week before I had caught the sunset in The Four Elements (4th place...missed it by that much!)from Weather //www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=18152
I used the area focusing mode on my camera on both(uses the spot metering as previously discussed, but on the area of focus and not the exact center).
Both of these examples are probably easier to see from the profile or portfolio link at the left or below.
Other outtakes that are in my profile, also...Spring Sunset and Spring Sunset II.
Message edited by author 2003-04-28 13:13:49.
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04/28/2003 01:21:03 PM · #7 |
My personal experience and preference to shoot sunrises is to do it when it is a little cloudy. Flares don't often pop up when the sun not at full intensity. The period right before the sun coming up is also very rich in color when there is a little cloud cover in the area.
//www.pbase.com/image/11873457/large
Right as the sun is coming up is also a really good time to shoot. When its really sunny I throw the circular polarizer on and cross my fingers that I'm not going to get too many flares.
//home.shianet.org/~bshady/images/PA210067res.JPG
I love the silhouettes of the trees too. As far as exposing them, my exposure meter generally ends up between -1.0 and -1.7 to get the colors to show up the best and still be bright enough to make out the tree silhouettes. I don't know if this does you a lick of good, but its my theory. Good luck! - Bob
** I thought I better add that I never spot the sun in the center of the pic, but off to the sides a little more, optimally at a third. If the sun is ever in the center of one of my pictures, its probably because I cropped out the long side. bye again.
Message edited by author 2003-04-28 13:24:57. |
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04/28/2003 01:54:16 PM · #8 |
It's all about exposure and what your subject is.
If the sunsets and it hits a canyon wall, the wall will glow ORANGE and it will look a lot nicer than it was 30 minutes ago. You don't necessarily have to shoot at the sunset for a sunset photo. As they say, the "Golden Hours" of light appears twice daily for about 1 hour each. It's almost funny how every time I went to the national park and hiked around at noon under harsh sunlight, there would be a TON of people taking badly overexposed (some part or another) photographs, but at dawn or dusk, there wouldn't be anyone around even though it's the most ideal time to shoot landscapes on a clear day.
If you're shooting into the sunset, my suggestion is to use partial metering or center weighted average, point it at the sun and use that reading, the smaller the metering coverage such as spot metering, the better. It will set the sun to mid tone -- then you can decide how much you want to underexpose to get more RED/PINK/YELLOW (depending on the color of the cloud, the more underexposed, the more saturated) and darken the foreground creating sillhouettes. Don't use Evaluative/Matrix metering, it will not give you decent results, it's one of those times when it will screw up.
Originally posted by dacrazyrn:
I love getting sunset shots. The thing I have learned is that shooting away from the sunset (always look behind you), more often than not will give you great results. ie: Sunset on Bog'O'Bodan (this one was basically at a right angle from the sunset), //www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=18843 in the Flora challenge and the week before I had caught the sunset in The Four Elements (4th place...missed it by that much!)from Weather //www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=18152
I used the area focusing mode on my camera on both(uses the spot metering as previously discussed, but on the area of focus and not the exact center).
Both of these examples are probably easier to see from the profile or portfolio link at the left or below.
Other outtakes that are in my profile, also...Spring Sunset and Spring Sunset II. |
Message edited by author 2003-04-28 13:55:43.
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04/28/2003 03:39:17 PM · #9 |
With my ixus I usualy point the camera somewhere away from the sun (spot metering) several times until I´m satisfied with the brightness on the screen. And then then point and click on the sun.
Some of my sunrises and sunsets
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04/28/2003 04:20:04 PM · #10 |
If you did point it at teh sun the photos will have more color saturation -- it just depends on how you do it. Spot metering = gray 28% card reflectance, so if you're hitting the sky, it's probably overexposed.
Originally posted by finnur:
With my ixus I usualy point the camera somewhere away from the sun (spot metering) several times until I´m satisfied with the brightness on the screen. And then then point and click on the sun.
Some of my sunrises and sunsets |
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04/28/2003 05:21:28 PM · #11 |
To further complicate things, it depends on what focal length you are using. If it is a wide angle/ smallish sun, you tend to get resonable results metering the sky, without the sun in the frame then recomposing.
If it is a telephoto type shot, you are better to include the sun while metering.
If you want some foreground detail, you need to meter from the ground.
It is worth spending some time experimenting on a less than exciting scene, so that when it comes to the time when you want to get it right you know what to do.
Like many things with cameras, it is a whole lot easier to learn how the thing works by simply experimenting in a resonably methodical way and looking at the results. You'll certainly remember much more about it by putting it in to practice. |
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