sunset pictures... is it possible?

[loading44]

Hello everybody..

I'm a new member to Digital Photography School, but I've been a guest for along time

I need to ask a question and I wish I get an answer..

is it possible to get good sunset shots without an ND Grad filter?
or is it necessary to have one?

Is it possible to get a good shot with HDR? or doesn't it work for sunsets as it does for other types of landscape photography..


I'll be heading to a city with a beach next week.. and I really wish I can get a good shot of the sunset there..

I own a D90, with no filters what so ever..


please tell me its possible :|


Thanks in anticipation..

Loading44

[dcclark]

Sure, you can do all kinds of cool stuff without filters or crazy techniques like HDR.

Here's the first thing that comes to mind -- find some place with some interesting shapes, which will look cool in silhouette. Go there at sunset, and shoot them, making sure to tweak your exposure compensation so that the sky (sunset) is properly exposed. You can get some neat effects this way.

Doing that, you can also do some post-processing to tweak the sunset colors, increase saturation or contrast, and so on. Here's a random example from my files: Roundhouse Sunset.

I do recommend getting a ND Grad though, if you can. It's an extremely useful filter, and worth the cost.

[navcom]

There are a lot of factors that make a good sunset photo. Ultimately you don't need an ND filter to take sunset photos but it really helps if you are aiming for quality and want foreground detail. It's possible with HDR. Take at least 3 shots....one for normal exposure, one for the sun, and one for the foreground. Blend these three together with Photoshop or HDR software. If possible, take 5-7 shots. The more you get, the better quality your blend will be. Of course you have to be quick about it. The sun moves pretty fast right at sunset....and if the shots are taken too far apart, you will blur the sun from it's movement.

The only thing with HDR techniques is they can easily be overdone leaving you with a "cartoonish" image or an image that is obviously fake. Remember to keep it real. HDR should be subtle. Do as much with your camera as you can.

[wulf]

I've got more shots of sunrises myself, like this one:



That was using my 70-300mm lens with my D40 and shooting (for once) in RAW mode. That helped pull some more subtlety out of the colour. Aperture f/8, shutter speed 1/500s and ISO 400 (see full settings). The main challenge is not overexposing the sun and a large area round it while also underexposing most of the rest of the picture. This shot was just before the sun really got above the horizon.

Also, while waiting for that point where the sun itself is just hidden (or just about to hide) from view, keep an eye out for colours elsewhere. Here are a couple of shots I have taken at sunset, featuring clouds and buildings:



No filters... although some post-processing was done on the sunrise and the cathedral pictures.

Wulf

[EasternSierra]

Don't forget to look behind you, as well. As the sun is setting below the horizon, it will throw some fantastic light onto the subjects behind you. So while you're waiting for that moment just after the sun disappears, turn around and check out the scenary behind you. Even a grungy city can have a beauty of it's own in the surreal glow of a fading sun...

But I will also say that investing in a graduated ND filter or three will help...a lot...

[fletch]

You can do it without a GND filter but you need to make a choice. If you are shooting into the sun you have two options.

- Shoot silhouttes, expose for the sky and have whatever is in front of you totally in shadow.
- Use photoshop. You could try HDR, simple exposure blending or photoshop GND filters. However you need to be carefull when shooting, use a tripod and get the right exposures, the sky arround the sun could be over 5 stops brighter than the land so to get the right shot is quite difficult. Shoot RAW to give you more room to adjust.

This shot was created using two exposures, one for the sky and one for the land and sticthed acrross the horizon. It can be quite difficult to blend if the sky's exposure is a long way from the land as it can look very unnatural.

[loading44]

Thank you everybody for your responses..

I really feel relieved now..

Wulf and Fletch,, those are really nice shots,, I hope I get something as good..

Thank you all..

[wulf]

Don't forget to come back and show us how you get on.

Wulf

[Carl911]

Hope Im not hijacking this thread but seeing as we are on a sunset discussion, can someone tell m the best way to get focus.
In this picture I wanted the pilon to be in good sharp focus to add a nice focal point for the sunset.
Unfortunately it looks quite blurry as if taken in low resolution.
Can anyone point out to me where im going wrong with focus.
This might be of interest to loading44 to.

[fletch]

Originally Posted by Carl911

Hope Im not hijacking this thread but seeing as we are on a sunset discussion, can someone tell m the best way to get focus.

Did you use a tripod? At 1/20 and 210mm this is probably camera shake rather than out of focus.