Sunrises and sunsets
Since I started this photography blog, I might as well share some of my techniques/tips with you. I am not a professional whatsoever, so I just kind of learned by doing. I will share the way I take a certain photograph, but there may be different (better) ways to get the same result. I will try to explain the way I set my camera and what I do to get the effect, etc...
In this post I would like to talk about sunrises and sunsets. Who doesn't love photos of sunrises and sunsets. Most of you know that light is very important when it comes to photography. Harsh daylight and especially direct sunlight is not always ideal for photos as it can burn out parts of the photo, make parts in the photo very dark and such. The best time for photos is around sunrise and sunset because the light is optimal at that time. The time just just after a sunrise or just before a sunset is usually a great time for photos, especially if you have a scenic view. If you don't have a scenic view you might still have some luck photographing a beautiful sunrise/sunset when there are some nice clouds around. The clouds usually reflect the sunrise/sunset colours and this can create some beautiful light display.
Early morning light just before sunrise or the blue hour light (after sunset) is great too. You can get nice light reflections on buildings, trees, water and so much more. If you live near a body of water (lake, river, inlet, ocean, etc...) this time of they day can be great too as you can benefit from the calmness of the water which in turn creates beautiful reflections on the water. The water is usually quite calm at sunrise and at sunset.
Filters may help sometimes too to get the real nice colours of the sunrise/sunset. I sometimes set my camera on the scene mode and choose the "sunset" mode, but mostly I just have it set to "Aperture" (the A button on your dial), this way you can choose a higher f-number (at least a number of f/8) to get details from the foreground to the background. If that still seems bright you can adjust the "exposure" (E/V button on your camera) and put it on -0.3/-0.7/-1.0 to make the scene a bit less bright. A tripod is preferable too when shooting sunsets, especially if you are near the beach/water. Your camera may capture a photo at a slower shutter speed as enough light needs to enter the lens.
Some examples of what I described above (click on the photo for a larger view):
A photo of one of my favourite sunsets which was taken at Depoe Bay along the Oregon Coast in the USA:
Camera settings for the photo above:
*F-Number: F/9
*Exposure Time: 1/8 sec.
*ISO Speed: ISO-100
*Exposure Program: Aperture Priority (A)
*Exposure Compensation (E/V): -1.3 step
-->I did some post processing work in Photoshop to bring out the foreground a little more and I added a bit more contrast & saturation).
In this post I would like to talk about sunrises and sunsets. Who doesn't love photos of sunrises and sunsets. Most of you know that light is very important when it comes to photography. Harsh daylight and especially direct sunlight is not always ideal for photos as it can burn out parts of the photo, make parts in the photo very dark and such. The best time for photos is around sunrise and sunset because the light is optimal at that time. The time just just after a sunrise or just before a sunset is usually a great time for photos, especially if you have a scenic view. If you don't have a scenic view you might still have some luck photographing a beautiful sunrise/sunset when there are some nice clouds around. The clouds usually reflect the sunrise/sunset colours and this can create some beautiful light display.
Early morning light just before sunrise or the blue hour light (after sunset) is great too. You can get nice light reflections on buildings, trees, water and so much more. If you live near a body of water (lake, river, inlet, ocean, etc...) this time of they day can be great too as you can benefit from the calmness of the water which in turn creates beautiful reflections on the water. The water is usually quite calm at sunrise and at sunset.
Filters may help sometimes too to get the real nice colours of the sunrise/sunset. I sometimes set my camera on the scene mode and choose the "sunset" mode, but mostly I just have it set to "Aperture" (the A button on your dial), this way you can choose a higher f-number (at least a number of f/8) to get details from the foreground to the background. If that still seems bright you can adjust the "exposure" (E/V button on your camera) and put it on -0.3/-0.7/-1.0 to make the scene a bit less bright. A tripod is preferable too when shooting sunsets, especially if you are near the beach/water. Your camera may capture a photo at a slower shutter speed as enough light needs to enter the lens.
Some examples of what I described above (click on the photo for a larger view):
A photo of one of my favourite sunsets which was taken at Depoe Bay along the Oregon Coast in the USA:
Camera settings for the photo above:
*F-Number: F/9
*Exposure Time: 1/8 sec.
*ISO Speed: ISO-100
*Exposure Program: Aperture Priority (A)
*Exposure Compensation (E/V): -1.3 step
-->I did some post processing work in Photoshop to bring out the foreground a little more and I added a bit more contrast & saturation).
If any of you have questions, comments or like to share their own ideas...please leave a comment below (just click on "no comments"!
Thank you for stopping by!
Ann
Here are a few more of my favourite sunrise/sunset photos:
Thank you for stopping by!
Ann
Here are a few more of my favourite sunrise/sunset photos:
Images Copyright by Ann Badjura unless otherwise mentioned.
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