Sunset and Sunrise Settings

jlm86

I am still not clear on how to get those awesome sunrise/sunset shots. AE lock kind of confuses me because I'm a novice user. I have a Tamron 18-105mm lens.

Moose

Howdy @jlm86 - Because of the wide dynamic range produced by the sunset, it's hard for any camera to "see" it they way that our eyes do.

Really, the only way to get a nicely balanced sunrise/sunset shot is to use a Graduated ND filter or utilize a HDR technique.

Graduated ND filters are dark at one end and clear at the other. The dark end is positioned over the sky and the clear end is placed over the land, giving you a nicely balanced exposure.

HDR is a process where you take 3 to 7 images of the same scene at varying levels of exposure, from bright to dark. You then merge these images together using HDR software, like Photomatix or Nik HDR Efex Pro.

As for settings, it depends on which route you take...ND filters or HDR processing. Hope that makes sense and happy shooting! :)

Moose

@liontamer - Ha, yep I throw them in head first. :)

Good point on the 'sky only' composition. If you do that, then the 60D doesn't have to expose for the land, which allows you to pick up all the nice colors of the sky.

SunsAnvil

I have a question about the concept of "killing" a camera when photographing the sun. Of course I try to avoid looking directly at the sun and pointing sensitive equipment at it, but there are days when the sunrise or sunset is just too good to pass up. I've used Fuji compact cameras (450D and 600D) and I'm now considering a 60D and I have never killed a camera yet. Could you please elaborate?