Post Sunset Scene

[photobyfelix]

Hello All:

Last night I went to a nearby lake to scout a scene that eventually could be a nice photo when the clouds are right (meaning more picturesque).

I have not tried post sunset shots before and ran into trouble with the sky fine but the foreground (mostly buildings) too dark. I couldn't find a balance. I was not using a filter. I was on apeture priority and the settings for this particluar image were f/14 - 1/20 sec, ISO @1600, the lens is a 28mm f/2.8 on a nikon D200.

I was shooting in RAW and could start adjusting, but frankly, taking this shot "clean" is what I would like to achieve.

[PLouie]

First, I'd say you should have shot it at the lowest ISO possible unless you didn't have a tripod. Then again, you could have used a slightly larger aperture.

There is a good exposure in the sky but not the forground. It's a common issue with taking photos of the sky like this. I don't think there is a solution to this problem straight out of the camera itself (no filter). The solution is HDR or a Graduated Neutral Density Filter. The filter will be what you want if you want it straight out of the camera. It'll allow you to be able to underexpose the sky while exposing the foreground which hopefully will get you an overall balanced exposure of the two in one photo.

[brianfarrell]

I agree with PLouie.

Take a tripod if you're planning shots like this. Typically your exposures will be of the order of 10 seconds at a decently sharp aperture and ISO100

The ND grad filter is a good idea because that will allow you to hold back the sky and balance the exposure for the dark foreground.

Experiment. It's really the only way to learn...

But do take a tripod...

hth

[photobyfelix]

Thank you gents.

I did use a tripod but was way off base on exposure. I think it is time to by a neutral density filter as well.
Felix