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What's the best way to get good sunset shots?

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Ghozer

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My shots of the sun always seem to be lacking. They are usually completely blown out and I have to back off in pp. Obviously reducing the exposure is necessary but it never seems like I get it right. Anyone have any tips or is this an expected look? I had to back off a half stop in pp here which isn't much but it still doesn't quite have that "look" that I'm expecting, which is a more defined circle. Maybe at this time of day the sun is just too bright and I'm actually doing okay? I would love to see people post their best sunset shots so I can compare. This one is taken with 5D and 24-105. I know it needs exposure work but I think the composition works.



Now sihlouettes right before the sun sets I do fine at. Here's one. I just expect pictures like the above to show the sun more defined instead of a blob. This is also the 5D and 24-105. Any comments are appreciated. I'm always looking to learn. Thanks.



--
Cheers,
Doug
 
The sun will be a big red orb then. It should have the same effect as the second photo. A split ND filter would help some I guess. I, too search for methods other than the hazy day or HDR methods.

Ernie
 
Is to meter the sky without the Sun for "correct" exposure. Unfortunately, the Sun is the brightest object in the sky, so you can't avoid the Sun looking like it does in the 1st photo. You could do 2 different exposures, I suppose, and combine them, but not exactly a natural look.

I like the exposure you got for the very high dynamic range you are challenged with. Of course, in the second photo, the Sun is so low, the majority of it's brightness is gone. Remember film/sensor's have a dynamic range of about 5 or 6 in contrast to the human eye which if I recall is 12 or 13.

Second photo is quite good.

--dennis

P.S. watch your horizon line; it's tilted (I use the "EeD" screen which has etched vertical/horizonatl lines). Also be careful not to put the horizon so close to the middle of the frame (general composition rule for scenes like this).
 
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Cheers,
Doug
 
I forgot to mention that both those shots were with split ND's, 2 stops.
ErnieW said:
The sun will be a big red orb then. It should have the same effect
as the second photo. A split ND filter would help some I guess.
I, too search for methods other than the hazy day or HDR methods.

Ernie
Click to expand...
--
Cheers,
Doug
 
But you might get a darker sky than you want.

--dennis
 
Thanks, and you are certainly right about the horizon and rule of thirds violation. Doh! I'm usually so careful about that too! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
dgovoni said:
Is to meter the sky without the Sun for "correct" exposure.
Unfortunately, the Sun is the brightest object in the sky, so you
can't avoid the Sun looking like it does in the 1st photo. You
could do 2 different exposures, I suppose, and combine them, but
not exactly a natural look.

I like the exposure you got for the very high dynamic range you are
challenged with. Of course, in the second photo, the Sun is so low,
the majority of it's brightness is gone. Remember film/sensor's
have a dynamic range of about 5 or 6 in contrast to the human eye
which if I recall is 12 or 13.

Second photo is quite good.

--dennis

P.S. watch your horizon line; it's tilted (I use the "EeD" screen
which has etched vertical/horizonatl lines). Also be careful not to
put the horizon so close to the middle of the frame (general
composition rule for scenes like this).
Click to expand...
--
Cheers,
Doug
 
Here they are with the horizon lines fixed. Can't believe I missed that!





--
Cheers,
Doug
 
who knows what the odds are for taking good sunset fotos. for me, i think my odds are in this range.

honestly, those shots you took are only ideal for silhouette-type shot. and for that, i think you accomplished those well in both shots, esp. the second one (the figure seems a bit Grecian in the silhouette).

i would usually pass up scenes like these. if there are no clouds in the sky, you are bound to end up with a foto of predominantly one color, such as orange in this case. i see a lot of folks packing up their gear after the sun sets. actually, that's when the action begins and may last for 20 minutes. call it rayleigh scattering or afterglow, it doesn't matter. this is when the sky lights up with all kinds of colors and tones. again, if no clouds are in the sky, there's probably no shot.

i am usually chase sunrises but of late, the weather/pollution has been bad in hong kong. please take a look at my shots:

http://www.photo.net/photos/j.%20su

http://contaximages.com/user.php?id=360&page=user_images

one last thing: during the sunset, if things are not going well, turn around and see if you have a shot behind you, as that light is at its best (uni-directional).
 
is a nice book by Brian Peterson. It contains two tips for sunsets. It requires separate exposure and focus set on the camera. In one instance, meter the area to the left or right of the sun. In the other, if detail in the water and other objects is what you are after, meter the light coming off the water. After both, recompose, focus and shoot.
 
The larger the Aperture (smaller the F number) the more fuzzy the sun will be; and likewise the smaller the aperture (larger the F number) the more defined the edges of the sun will be. The rest about blowing out the sky or the sun is a matter of using a ND filter (graduated ND may be even better) to block out the sun and reduce the light coming directly from it. Alternatively, you can expose once for the sky and (second) separately for the sun and (third) the landscpae and combine the three shots (ala old day slide sandwich or modern day HDR (dynamic range software)). You can also use layers in Photoshop to get the same effect (I find this better and a lot more versatile than HDR).

Hope the above helps.
 
1. Set the Auto White Balance to "Daylight"
This will give a more red/yellow saturation

2. When the sun is in the picture, try using the maximum telephoto. This will make the sun larger giving more drama. Of course if you are tying to have sometihing closer in focus, you will have to compromise.

Hope this helps.

Howard
 
Try using at least a 200mm lens to make the sun appear larger. Really long focal lengths are geat for silhouettes against the sun. Experiment with apperture when doing sihouettes. Also, a prime lens has less elements and will give better overall contrast in the image when such a bright light source is in the field of view - unless of course you especially want a slightly more dreamy look that you can get more easily with a zoom.

Some good metering advice has already been given - and I second the suggestion of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Petersen.
--
Stu.
 
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