Help with Sunset and Sunrise photos please

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sam49

Senior Member
Hi I will be traveling to Spain shortly and I like to take some sunrise and sunset photos, and I would appreciate any advice I can get in getting a few nice few photos.

I need advice on settings and where do I point the main focus point.

Will the sunset setting on my D5100 be ok or should I use the landscape mode.

Any advice will be very much appreciated.
:confused:
 
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stmv

Senior Member
I typically shoot in manual mode, and leave it in sun for WB, but I would think sunset mode would be best. shoot in raw, that way you can always correct the WB, and just focus on the exposure/composition/DOF.


Don't forget to look at what the sun is lighting up, often the best shots are not the sunsets but the items being lit in that beautiful glow.

Spain,, awesome, photo delight location. enjoy.
 
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sam49

Senior Member
stmv said:
I typically shoot in manual mode, and leave it in sun for WB, but I would think sunset mode would be best. shoot in raw, that way you can always correct the WB, and just focus on the exposure/composition/DOF.


Don't forget to look at what the sun is lighting up, often the best shots are not the sunsets but the items being lit in that beautiful glow.

Spain,, awesome, photo delight location. enjoy.
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Thank you I usually shoot in Raw and Jpeg (Fine) so that's not a problem
I understand about the WB and I suppose the composition will be the two thirds rule but its the exposure and DOF I am worried about

I think my best way is to use a bracketed exposure with the sunset but I am struggling to get it to work.

Also almost all my photos are underexposed anybody got any ideas to help me please

And I will try and enjoy myself, a few glasses of Sangria and the sunset I cant wait
 
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nikonpup

nikonpup

Senior Member
shot sunrise/sunset at home before you go. Shot manual f8 adjust shutter speed till pictures looks good to you. I like to underexpose with my 5100. Wb is in auto. Some post processing to make you happy. Do not be afraid to play with your setting, if you take a bad pictures who's to know. Look around, that great picture may be behind you. Enjoy your trip.
 
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MrF

Senior Member
The biggest challenge I've had with sunsets is avoiding blowing out the highlights in the sun and the sky around it. Does the D5100 have the highlight preview? I underexpose until I'm no longer blowing those out and recover the darker areas in post.
 
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Eye-level

Banned
I don't do sunrises and sunsets but I imagine a couple of graduated neutral density filters would be a valuable addition to the toolkit for someone who does because of the reason stated in #5...
 
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sam49

Senior Member
MrF said:
The biggest challenge I've had with sunsets is avoiding blowing out the highlights in the sun and the sky around it. Does the D5100 have the highlight preview? I underexpose until I'm no longer blowing those out and recover the darker areas in post.
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Thank you for the reply

Hi not sure if the D5100 have the highlight preview I will have to investigate
 
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sam49

Senior Member
Eye-level said:
I don't do sunrises and sunsets but I imagine a couple of graduated neutral density filters would be a valuable addition to the toolkit for someone who does because of the reason stated in #5...
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Hi thanks for the advice I know nothing about graduated neutral density filters, i thing there are different strengths so how do i know what to get, it look to me that you turn them to get different intensity is that right

Now i see the cokin range are they any good and do I need graduated neutral density or just neutral density
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
I do a lot of sunset images and the only way I've found to capture both the highlights and the shadows is to either use a graduated filter or shoot bracketed shots. I prefer the latter since it requires no additional equipment. As for bracketing, I like shooting 5 to 7 images at a difference of 1 stop each. Then when you get home you can mix and match the bracketed shots to create an HDR that is realistic. Or you can find that one image that has the best dynamic range w/o blowing out the highlights.
 
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sam49

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
I do a lot of sunset images and the only way I've found to capture both the highlights and the shadows is to either use a graduated filter or shoot bracketed shots. I prefer the latter since it requires no additional equipment. As for bracketing, I like shooting 5 to 7 images at a difference of 1 stop each. Then when you get home you can mix and match the bracketed shots to create an HDR that is realistic. Or you can find that one image that has the best dynamic range w/o blowing out the highlights.
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Hi Dave thanks for the advice

Am I correct in thinking that a graduated filter will be darker towards the top but how does that work with a circular filter and what density would you recommend or is it trial and error.

Thanks again
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
A grad filter is very different from a cir polarizer and I've never heard of anyone combining them but I suppose in theory you could. But if you do go down this road, I would suggest you go with the square Cokin type and avoid the circular filters. You have a lot more flexibility with the square filters because you can adjust the filter relative to the horizon, something you cannot do with a circular filter type. I haven't used filters since my film days so I'm probably not the one to give advice on densities but back in the day I carried a couple of different densities with me.

I've thought about returning to filters and probably should, maybe it's time to start thinking about it again, eh?
 
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sam49

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
A grad filter is very different from a cir polarizer and I've never heard of anyone combining them but I suppose in theory you could. But if you do go down this road, I would suggest you go with the square Cokin type and avoid the circular filters. You have a lot more flexibility with the square filters because you can adjust the filter relative to the horizon, something you cannot do with a circular filter type. I haven't used filters since my film days so I'm probably not the one to give advice on densities but back in the day I carried a couple of different densities with me.

I've thought about returning to filters and probably should, maybe it's time to start thinking about it again, eh?
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I just might give the cokin range a try

Thanks again
 
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sam49

Senior Member
I've been looking at the Cokin range and it might be a way forward for me.

But is it possible to get the graduated filter effect in Lightroom so how good is the graduated filter in Lightroom.
 
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unkyjohn

Senior Member
sam49 said:
I've been looking at the Cokin range and it might be a way forward for me.

But is it possible to get the graduated filter effect in Lightroom so how good is the graduated filter in Lightroom.
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I have recently purchased a couple of grads - I think it is better to preserve the sky area in the shot than try and recover what is missing in post
 
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Eye-level

Banned
There is a technique using PS/LR where you basically take a tripod and make two shots a darker and lighter one then in post you paste the darker one over the lighter one and use the eraser tool with a big soft edged brush and blend the two together.

Grads are simple but very effective tools when you have a situation where contrast is high such as a sunrise/sunset snap. Basically all you do is orient the dark half of the filter with the sky and it allows you to expose for your foreground capturing all the shadow detail and it prevents the sky from being blown out due to the dark part of the filter.

You probably want at least a 2 stop filter but a 3 stop one is probably even better. I've heard the square ones are the best but they are expensive.

I think Jake uses them a lot maybe he'll chime in.

I don't have many special filters for my Nikons but I used to have a slew of them for my old Contaflex (still do but no body)
 
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MrF

Senior Member
Eye-level said:
Grads are simple but very effective tools when you have a situation where contrast is high such as a sunrise/sunset snap. Basically all you do is orient the dark half of the filter with the sky and it allows you to expose for your foreground capturing all the shadow detail and it prevents the sky from being blown out due to the dark part of the filter.

You probably want at least a 2 stop filter but a 3 stop one is probably even better. I've heard the square ones are the best but they are expensive.
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I have a 2 stop grad. For sunsets over water, as the sun gets lower on the horizon, I usually wind up taking it off. The brightest area of the scene is right at the horizon, right where the grad fades away to clear. The sun off the water tends to keep the area right below the horizon pretty bright as well. I found it wasn't helping with darkening the sun, and robbing me of detail higher up in the sky as the light faded. I don't know what part of Spain the OP is going to, but it's something to consider over water.

I honestly can't say if it's the same over land. I can't think of the last time I took a sunset photo over land. That's what I get for living in CA or being at sea so much. Haha.
 
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sam49

Senior Member
Thanks for the advice in the above two posts about the filters I now understand a little more about them.

And MrF I am going to a place called Salou and its about 70 miles south of Barcelona and that's I think is on the east coast of northern Spain
 
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