First Sunrise

[ashlandgirl]

I went out and took some shots at sunrise for the first time. The lighting was very different than the sunset pictures I have taken in the past.

I'm still shooting on my Sony Cybershot and this was taken on manual mode.

[navcom]

Hi and welcome! First off, you might want to take a look at the forum rules to find out what information to include in your post (EXIF data, specific question, etc.). With that information we can help you much better.

On first look, it's obvious you are experiencing high dynamic range issues, which is not your fault. Dynamic range is the range between the brightest and darkest points in a scene. A sunset/rise has a HUGE dynamic range...more than your camera can record. This is why if you want to get that stump in the foreground exposed properly, your sky is blown out. Likewise, if you expose for the sky, the foreground and the stump will be black.

Let us know your EXIF data and we can help you better.

[ashlandgirl]

Thanks! This is my first post on any social network site, so thank you for your patience!

My camera is not a DSLR, I have the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1. I was trying to venture out into the manual mode, and for this shot I ended up in the scene selection with the beach feature so not sure on the exact EXIF.

Once the sun came up, I couldn't find a way to capture anything with the sun in the frame without blowing out the shot. Any suggestions?

[dlambert]

The Exif information should be embedded in the file from the camera. Most image processing programs will show this to you, including online sites (Flickr, Smugmug, etc.). You can also see if by right-clicking the photo in Windows Explorer and choosing Properties -- look in the Details tab.

As far as blowing the shot out, if you can use filters on your camera, you could try a graduated neutral-density filter. I've had somewhat better results stopping the aperture down when shooting into the sun, but it's always a little tricky.

[navcom]

While P&S cameras are great, they are usually limited with what you can do manually. They are designed for easy "point and shoot" with minimum input from the user...thus the name. Most landscape photography requires a lot of manual input. Over-riding the auto modes is almost a necessity. But that doesn't mean you can't get good shots from a point and shoot if you are creative!

As I stated in my first post, your issue is high dynamic range. The camera cannot record the range that's present in the scene. It's not unique to you and it's not your fault. Pretty much every camera (SLR's included) has this limitation.

The two best ways to deal with it are either using a graduated ND filter or an HDR technique using bracketed shots. It is possible to use both methods with a P&S camera.

An ND grad filter is a rectangular filter that's half shaded and half clear with a feathered transition zone. You place the shaded area over the bright part of the image to "push back" it's intensity, thus allowing a good exposure. You can use a ND grad with a point and shoot camera by simply hand-holding it in front of the lens. It works better on an SLR because it is designed for the frame/sensor size but it is still possible to use one with a p&s.

For the bracketing technique, you take different exposures (one exposed for the sky, one for the foreground, and one inbetween). This captures a good exposure of every element in the scene in at least one shot. Then you combine them in Photoshop or specific software such as Photomatix to get an image with a higher dynamic range.

High dynamic range is one of the first stumbling blocks to the new landscape photographer. Once you figure out how to overcome it, it's like a light-bulb moment.

Hope that helps!

[dlambert]

BTW, I've had the same impression about sunset lighting vs. sunrise lighting, but I'm not sure this is really the case. I know for a fact that I've shot a whole lot more sunsets than sunrises, so my experience is a little skewed. ;-)

Anyway, in going back and looking through some of my old photos, it struck me what a narrow window there is to get a really good shot without the sun being completely blown out. I really can't tell for sure in your shot, but I have a feeling that you're already getting past that point here. If you've got the whole series, look at all the shots in order, taking note of the Exif info in each of them -- it might be interesting to note how quickly the conditions change at this time of day.

[navcom]

Originally Posted by dlambert

BTW, I've had the same impression about sunset lighting vs. sunrise lighting, but I'm not sure this is really the case. I know for a fact that I've shot a whole lot more sunsets than sunrises, so my experience is a little skewed. ;-)

I shoot about 50-50 on sunrises/sunsets. They are different but it's not like sunrises are better or worse than sunsets. Each individual one is different. Sometimes the rise is better than the set...sometimes the other way around. It really depends on the atmosphere.

Originally Posted by dlambert

Anyway, in going back and looking through some of my old photos, it struck me what a narrow window there is to get a really good shot without the sun being completely blown out. I really can't tell for sure in your shot, but I have a feeling that you're already getting past that point here.

It's not so much that it's getting too bright as the light is getting too harsh. Usually after about 10-15 minutes after sunrise and before 10-15 minutes before sunset the light is starting to get pretty harsh as the sun is high enough in the sky. You can control the intensity with filters or HDR bracketing. Changing the harshness is much harder, if not impossible. The light is what it is.

[dlambert]

Originally Posted by navcom

I shoot about 50-50 on sunrises/sunsets. They are different but it's not like sunrises are better or worse than sunsets. Each individual one is different. Sometimes the rise is better than the set...sometimes the other way around. It really depends on the atmosphere.

A couple of the photos I looked at were a sunset immediately followed by sunrise in the same location the following morning, so the atmospheric change was limited to whatever happened in those six hours or so. I did notice far less reddish glow in the sunrise -- it got lighter, but I never saw quite the same "pop" in the morning colors. It also seems like sunsets hang around longer than sunrises. Again, I can't back this up with anything other than my own recollections.

To your point, though, I've certainly also seen gorgeous sunrises that were neither preceded by or followed by good looking sunsets. I guess you've got no choice other than to show up to 'em all.

[navcom]

Originally Posted by dlambert

A couple of the photos I looked at were a sunset immediately followed by sunrise in the same location the following morning, so the atmospheric change was limited to whatever happened in those six hours or so. I did notice far less reddish glow in the sunrise -- it got lighter, but I never saw quite the same "pop" in the morning colors. It also seems like sunsets hang around longer than sunrises. Again, I can't back this up with anything other than my own recollections.

To your point, though, I've certainly also seen gorgeous sunrises that were neither preceded by or followed by good looking sunsets. I guess you've got no choice other than to show up to 'em all.

You got that right! Kind of like Forrest Gump's mom says...it's like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get. And sometimes the reason you get more color at sunset is due to a bit more pollution in the air than at sunrise. But even this is not certain.

In over 20 years, I've taken hundreds of sunrises and sunsets. It's my favorite genre of photography and I never tire of it! I would have to say I get smoked about 75% of the time after I show up thinking it's going to be great. But the other 25% make up for it by far! And even the bad days are not a waste. It's great stress relief.

You start to pick up on cues that nature provides and learn from the failures to determine what usually makes or breaks a good sunrise/set. But nature never shares all her secrets and the weather never does the same thing twice. And quite honestly, sometimes the worst weather can yield some of the best compositions!

The atmosphere is everything. Usually smog or pollution creates better colors...as bad as that sounds...but not always. If there has been a forest fire within a few hundred miles of me, I'm out every morning and evening I can!

[danbaileyphoto]

Welcome, to the site and good for you for getting out to photograph a sunrise. You're now part of the club and will forever be obsessed with photography and chasing good light.

I like your composition, you have a good eye for someone who's just starting out. Just keep shooting and practicing and remember that photography is a lifelong creative pursuit. There is so much to learn and this is definitely a good site to gather great information.