Beach Sunset

[willisachimp]

Hi folks,

First post, so be kind

I've had my first proper camera for a few months now and feel I'm progressing, so thought starting to share some shots might help.

I'm pretty pleased with this shot, but it's difficult to balance the overblown sun section with the darkened right. I've used the 'highlights' slider in aperture to bring down the sun a little, but would be interested in other ways I could improve it - either in post-processing, or things to think of when shooting in the future.

Thanks,

Will.

Camera: Canon EOS 550D
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/13.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100

[navcom]

What you are experiencing is called high dynamic range. Dynamic range is the range between the darkest and brightest points in a scene. In the case of your photo, this range is huge.

Your eyes can see about 20 stops of light but cameras can only record around 9. That means that no matter what you do, something isn't going to record right. If you expose for the sky, the foreground will be black. If you expose for the foreground, the sky will be blown out. The camera needs some help in order to record properly.

The traditional (and in my opinion the best) method is to use a graduated neutral density filter. It looks like this...



You put the shaded half over the sky and align the transition zone with the horizon. This "pushes back" the intensity of the sky bringing the dynamic range into an amount that the camera can record properly. It installs on your camera using a filter holder like this...



Another way to control dynamic range is bracketing several images taken at different exposures that can cover the whole dynamic range. Take enough images so that every element in your scene is exposed properly in at least one of your photos. Then you combine them in post processing using Photoshop or specific software such as Photomatix.

Both techniques have their advantages and disadvantages. ND grad filters usually produce the best image quality and give a more traditionally realistic scene. HDR software techniques can be easily overdone and the technology is so powerful it can actually reveal too much dynamic range that it appears "cartoonish" and can create artifacts in the image that reduce quality. But HDR can also create some stunning artistic effects as well. That being said, if done right, it's a powerful tool that can fit in your toolbox and used where an ND filter would be hard to use...such as a scene that doesn't have a defined horizon where the filter will be obvious in your image.

Hope that helps!

[Corey Thompson]

I agree with Navcom about the GND filters. I recently picked up .6 and .9 soft edge GNDs. They are a good tool to have when you're out shooting photos like that. It'll help you expose more for the foreground and avoid blowing out the sky. They can be a bit pricey depending on what setup you go with, but in my opinion they are definitely worth the money. Also, Photoshop and Lightroom have a GND tool built in, with some creative post processing, you might be able to enhance this photo a bit more.

[sk66]

The one place where HDR or Exposure Blending can't really compete with a GND is when there is a lot of motion in a scene...
For this shot w/ the birds and waves a GND is really the only *realistic" option.

You can also get "screw on" GND's. I carry one of these for the rare occasion. They are cheaper and less cumbersome. However, the graduation point(not angle) is fixed. To move it around in a scene you change your framing and that will require cropping in post to get your *ideal* framing (which would probably have been achievable w/ a system filter).

[willisachimp]

Thanks for the great responses!

I'm doing my best to take it slowly with the gear, but i'm very tempted In the meantime, and for this photo, I'll have a go at enhancing it a little in software and see what I can do

Thanks again,

Will.