Photographing Sunsets and Sunrises
Left Image: 35mm SLR, Tokina 80-200mm f-2.8 ATX lens, Fuji Velvia 50, Bogen tripod and pan/tilt head. Centerweighted metering and +1 exposure compensation, shutter speed not recorded, f-8 on aperture priority manual focus.
Many people have problems
photographing sunrises and sunsets. Exposure seems to be the main difficulty. It is really
much easier than you think.
All exposure meters want to make the whole scene as medium tone (see Exposure).
Knowing this and working in stops will make calculating exposure much easier. There are
several ways to photograph sunsets and sunrises and the same rule applies to both. One way
is to meter part of the sky using your spot meter or a long telephoto lens and decide
whether you want to place it as medium, lighter, or darker, and adjust exposure
accordingly. Generally you would want to open up one stop from your meter reading. For
example, If your meter suggests 1/8 sec at f-5.6 you would set your meter to 1/4 sec at
f-5.6. Another way to get proper exposure is by excluding the sun by swinging your lens to
one side. Take a reading, lock exposure, and swing the camera back to your original setting with the sun
included and take the picture.
Right Image: Digital SLR, Tamron 70-210mm f-2.8 lens, 1/125 at
f-11, Bogen tripod and ballhead.
You can use the manual exposure for this technique or auto
exposure mode
with the AE lock. If you take a reading with the ball of sun included in the composition,
your final picture will be underexposed as the sun can fool the meter by several stops.
Be
ready with your camera and lens set on your tripod well in advance. Pick a spot and
compose your picture and wait for the sunrise or the sunset. Stay a little longer after
the sun has gone down as the changing light can produce some excellent photographs. Try
different focal length lenses. Moderate telephotos are great for including foreground
objects silhouetted against the sky while longer telephotos will give huge suns.
The
Complete Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography
Aimed at photographers who pack away their cameras as soon as light levels fall, this brilliant book shows how, with just a little skill and imagination, even amateurs can produce breathtaking photographs in nighttime or low-light settings. The guide begins with a clear explanation of technical aspects that must be considered, such as the best equipment to use for low-light indoor or nighttime outdoor shots, which color and black-and-white films to choose, how to ensure correct exposure in tricky situations, and details relating to both natural and artificial light. The book then tackles a wide range of themes and lighting situations, presenting specific guidance for shooting low-light landscapes, portraits, buildings, carnivals, fireworks displays, and weather phenomena such as lightning, sunrises, and sunsets.