Sunset and Seawaves

[jollence]

Ok, this is the 1st time I post in "How I took it" I think. Anyway let me explain how I took the shot above. Taking picture of a sunset can be very tricky when it come to adding a foreground in the shot. If you metered your camera to the sky, foreground will come out underexpose and dark. But if you metered on the foreground, sky will turn out overexpose. Here is my solution.


Graduated filters

The graduated filter helps alot in this situation, for the shot above I use both graduated ND8 & Grey together. To balance the light.

I compose the shot. rule of third.

Anyway, how to get the waves.. By using a cable release I have no worries to take the shot without touching the camera preventing camera shake. To capture the waves motion, it has to be around 1 or 2 second of exposure. If shutter set to below 1 sec, motion captured not that great when the sea wave not that strong. Expose too long, you don't get the motion either. I adjust the aperture to get the right shutter speed for the waves motion.
Then wait for the wave to come. Once you see the wave coming, press the shutter just milli second before the wave hit the rock. I continue do the same process few times until I got the shot I want.

Hope this will helps others. Thanks.

[Augphoto]

I love the photograph. It is very well done.

I have a question, however. Do you have a holder for your filters or do you hand hold them?

[Kaye]

Beautiful photo. And thanks for posting here. The information will be very helpful.

[kgb224]

Outstanding work.

[jdmfresh]

that is such a beautiful photo! well done!
i like ND filters alot! must get a graduated one though

[Federico Presti]

Amazing dream-like shot! I love it... for those of you (me included) that don't have that kind of filter, you may take one shot to capture the foreground (the sea and the waves) and then change the exposure and take another shot of the sky... then it should be pretty easy to paste them together.

and again... fabulous photo...

[shootblue]

Great shot, nice balance with the portrait and not landscape, I am really drawn in to view the whole image.

[jollence]

Originally Posted by Augphoto

I love the photograph. It is very well done.

I have a question, however. Do you have a holder for your filters or do you hand hold them?

I use a P type filter holder because I use P type of cokin filter.sample photo below. You need to get the adapter ring aswell depending on your lens diameter size to mount the filter holder.

[rpcrowe]

IMO blurring the water with slow shutter speeds is often overdone making the water look like cotton candy. You hit the speed right on to give the effect of motion while still retaining a bit of interesting detail.

[Bobcut_monster]

u make it veeryyy nice effect... i like very much...... gr8