dcw03 11 sunsets

8/6/2019 DCW03 11 Sunsets

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Whether you're an early bird a night owl, photographing sunrise and sunset is a sure-fireway of adding some scorching images to your collection, says Steve Bavister

COVER FEATURE SHOOTING SUNSETS AND SUNRISES

hat’s the main difference between

photographing a sunset and a sunrise? A

good night’s sleep! Joking apart, the fact

that you have to drag yourself from your bed at some

ungodly hour to capture the splendour of the sun

peeping over the horizon is surely part of the reason

why sitting patiently with a drink while you wait for

it to go down is a lot more popular.That said, in practice it’s no big deal getting up for a

sunrise. No worse than when you have an early holiday

flight. All you have to do is turn in at a sensible

time, set your alarm clock, have everything packed,

and know where you’re going. The advantage of

shooting a sunrise in autumn and winter is that you

don’t have to get up quite so early. The disadvantage

is that it’s more likely to be cold and damp. In

summer you may have to rise in the wee, small

hours, but it’s often warm and pleasant. Besides, if

you pick a day when you’re not at work, you can

always go back to bed afterwards.

Of course, you do need to be at your location and

have everything set up before the sun rises. But it’s a

magical time, which few people these days manage toexperience. It goes without saying that it’ll be dark, so

you may need a torch to adjust the settings on your

camera, and then everything happens quickly. And it’s

soon all over. Once the sun is a few degrees above the

horizon, its warmth disappears and it’s time to pack up.

If you’re more of a night owl than an early bird, then

sunsets are for you. There’s no need for an early start,

you’re working in daylight, and you’ve got plenty of

time in which to take your pictures. The colours are

often richer and more dramatic too. And during autumn

and winter the sun sets relatively early, so you can get

your sunsets in the bag and still be home for dinner.

You still need to plan, though, where you’re going to

go to get the best results.

The ideal time to shoot sunsets is when you’rehaving a holiday, because you’ve got time on your

hands and may be in an interesting and photogenic

location. No set of holiday snaps is complete without a

sunset or two. But you don’t need swaying palm trees

to bring your sunset and sunrise images to life. With a

little thought and imagination you’ll be able to produce

some stunning pictures wherever you are.

The sky’s the limit

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022 DIGITAL CAMERAMAGAZINE

he first question is where to find the best

locations to shoot. It goes without saying

that you’ll need to have a clear view of

where the sun is going to rise or set – and that’s

difficult, though not impossible, in many built-up areas,

because of all the clutter in the way.Obvious places to go are the east and west coastlines,

where you’re guaranteed sunrises and sunsets. And

there’s little to beat a blaze of colour over a stretch of

water – not least because you often get double value

thanks to the reflection. Inland, there are lots of lakes

and rivers where you can achieve the same thing.

In general, any vantage point that’s raised off the

ground – whether it’s a hill or a skyscraper – will be

perfect, providing you have a clear view of the horizon.

As with most subjects, there are many ways you can

compose a sunset. If the sun is hanging like a ball of fire

in the sky and you want it to be the focal point of thepicture, you’ll need to use your longest telephoto setting

or lens – and even then you may be disappointed how

small it looks when you bring it up on screen. Do take

care, though, when photographing the sun in this way,

as the optical system of the camera can act like a

magnifying glass and you can blind yourself.

Often you’ll want to show the sun as part of the

overall scene, with plenty of sky and some foreground

interest, so experiment with the full range of focal

lengths at your disposal to find out what works best.

In fact, some of the best sunsets are actually taken

after the sun has slipped below the horizon. In this

‘afterglow’ period, the sky is still illuminated, and the

earth only receives indirect lighting from it.

Another question to ask yourself is what colour

you’d like your sunset to be. If you don’t think about

it, you may get a shock when you check your pictures

later. Many digital cameras have an auto white-balancesystem, which automatically compensates for the

casts caused by different light sources, such as

household lamps Unfortunately, the system can’t tell

the difference between artificial tungsten and natural

sunset – they’re both the same colour temperature –

and if you’re not careful the atmospheric colours

that made you want to take the picture will all be

removed. So override the system if necessary to

ensure the colours are faithfully reproduced.While nature is wonderful most of the time,

sometimes it doesn’t quite deliver. And if a sunrise or

sunset doesn’t live up to your expectations, you can

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L a u r e n c e B o w e n 2 0 0 3

ABOVE It’s essential to choose a

location where you have a clear

view of where the sun will set

BELOW RIGHT The ‘afterglow’

period, once the sun hasslipped below the horizon

Sunsets

The basicsShooting sunsets is easy; shooting excellent sunsets andsunrises demands a little more care and attention…

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EXPERT TIP0STEVE BAVISTER’SPROADVICE

GETOUTYOUR ZOOM!If you want the sun to appear

large in your frame, you’ll need adecent zoom

50mm lens

300mm lens

http://www.photolibrary.com/







always give it a helping hand – either with an orange

warm-up or special Cokin sunset filter over the lens, or

later in the computer.

Since you’re shooting towards the light source,

there’s a serious risk of underexposure. So check one

or two shots as you’re getting set up, and dial in some

compensation if necessary. And if you’re still not sure,

do some ‘brackets’. Shoot at a range of exposures, and

choose the best one later. You can’t always tell from thecamera’s preview screen which is best.

And, finally, don’t just think of sunsets and sunrises

as subjects in themselves. The warm, soft light they

produce is perfect for a wide range or pictures –

everything from buildings to people.

The techie bitHave you ever wondered why sunrises and sunsets

are orange? Or perhaps you know already. It’s a result

of what’s known as Rayleigh Scattering, named after

Lord Rayleigh, no less. When sunlight enters the

atmosphere, it gets scattered by particles. For obscurescientific reasons, the blue wavelengths gets scattered

more than the red wavelengths, which is the reason

the sky is blue most of the time. However, during

sunset and sunrise, the sun’s light has to pass through

a greater thickness of the atmosphere before reaching

the ground, which causes multiple scatterings of blue

light, but little scattering of red light – so the sky glows

orange and red. Why are sunsets generally more vivid

than sunrises? Because there’s more airborne pollution

at the end of the day, which scatters the blue light

even more. And the reasons the sunsets you get

while on holiday in the tropics are so awesome is

thanks to the humidity, which has a similar effect.

That’s all well and good, but saying that light is

slightly orange or rather blue is a rather vague way ofgoing about things. Which is why a more scientific

description has been developed – the Kelvin Scale. This is

based around noon daylight, which has a temperature of

5,500K (Kelvins). Most digital cameras are calibrated for

use in this light, as are the majority of photographic

films. As the red content of the light increases, so the

temperature falls. At sunrise, the colour temperature is

often 3,500K, and around 3,000K at sunset – nearly as

warm as household tungsten lighting

On a bright summer’s day with vivid blue sky, or at

high altitude in mountainous regions, the colour

temperature can be as high as 10,000K. Images taken insuch conditions can exhibit a strong blue cast. One of the

great things about digital photography is that such casts

are quickly and easily removed – or enhanced.

Whatever you do, don’t look directly at the sun through any kind of lens, even whenit’s low in the sky. It can blind you in momentsa

Sunsets give you more

time to experiment. This

silhouette set against

glowing waters was

captured before the sun

reached the horizon

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The warm, soft light produced by a sunset is perfect

for capturing buildings, such as this Greek church

You can experiment using filters with the camera, or

using the computer once the shot is taken

Since you’re shooting towards the light

source, there’s a serious risk of underexposure –dial in some compensation if necessary

Sunsational shots2













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Without these cumulus clouds, this shot would besomewhat ordinary. The fiery clouds contrasted by theindigo sky make it something extra-special








louds are often thought of as a problem in

photography, especially in landscape work.And while you don’t really want heavy, grey

overcast clouds, a sky that’s nothing but solid blue

can be rather boring. It’s great if you’re looking to

shoot stock images that you’re hoping to sell –

because that’s what buyers usually want – but if your

aim is to produce a range of appealing photographs,

then more variety is essential.

Probably the most valuable cloud type is the

cumulus. Sitting low in the sky, these fluffy, cotton wool

clouds make most subjects instantly photogenic. Crisp,

white, and with sharp outlines, they’re often luminescent

when illuminated by the sun. A great way of makingthe most of them is to fit a polarising filter over the lens

to deepen the blue of the sky, and so increase the

contrast with the clouds. Or you can produce a similar,

though not identical, effect on the computer.

To make the most of cumulus formations, use a

wide-angle lens and tip the camera back. This will

exaggerate the perspective, and make it look as if the

clouds are zooming off into the distance.

As cumulus clouds pass over the sun, they also cast

atmospheric shadows on the ground. This ‘dappling’

effect makes the landscape a lot more interesting than

unfiltered sunlight.

High cloud types, such as cirrus, are more delicate

and less defined. Often there are wispy streamersthreading across the sky. Sometimes these clouds

add mood, but sometimes they’re just a pain in the

neck – especially when they occupy a sizeable

proportion of the sky.

However, they are good news when it comes to the

end of the day, because they’re often still lit up some

30 minutes after the sun has actually gone down. This

makes it easier to shoot silhouettes, because the land

and everything on it is not directly illuminated, but the

sky is still bright. Because they’re so much lower,

cumulus clouds only remain lit for about 10 minutes

after sunset. Clouds that are above cumulus and belowcirrus, such as altostratus and altocumulus, don’t usually

add much to the picture. They tend to clump together,

and can look greyish and uninviting.

AnimationsThe problem with sunsets is that one image can never

begin to capture the sheer majesty of the experience –

so why settle for just one? Why not shoot a sequence

of images, and then stitch them together in your

favourite image-editing program. To make sure they’re

all taken from exactly the same spot, start by mounting

the camera on a solid tripod. Then take a series of shots

at equal intervals – say one minute. On some cameras

you will need to time this manually. On others it may

be possible to set things up so it happens automatically.

All being well, the exposure for each shot will be

identical. If it’s not, tweak any images that need it in

your image-editing program and then stitch them

together to create your animation.

C EXPERT TIP0STEVEBAVISTER’SPROADVICE

THE SKY’S THE LIMITPhotograph interesting skies whenyou see them – you can always

copy them into other images

where the sky’s not so good.

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t e v e B a v i s t e r

A ‘big sky’ landscape is where digital SLRs really score. Being able to fit an ultra-wide-anglezoom enables you to open up the perspective enormouslya

How to shootCloud formationsCloudy skies needn’t spoil a shot – they can provide adramatic touch to a sunset, adding focus and interest

ABOVE Stunning colours together with the birds

wheeling above give this image a feeling of depthBELOW The dipping sun gives a ‘halo’ to these clouds








f you want to photograph successful

silhouettes – dark subjects, often in profile,

with no detail – you need to start by

finding a scene in which the background is much

brighter than the main subject. Without something

in the foreground, those early and late shots can

easily lack a sense of depth.

What’s essential is to choose the right subject. You

need something with an interesting shape which,

when reduced to pure black, will produce a dramatic

and appealing graphic composition. Don’t wait until

there’s a vivid sunset before looking round for

something to use as a silhouette, however. As you

travel around, keep your eyes peeled for suitable

subjects – a statue, such as the Angel of the North in

Gateshead, a crane on a building site, or the bare

winter branches of a tree. When you notice something

with potential, you’ll need to check which direction it

faces. When the best angle to shoot from has you

looking eastwards, you can put a sunrise behind it.

When you’re pointing to the west it’s clearly a sunset.


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How to shoot

SilhouettesSunrise and sunset are an ideal time to shoot silhouettes –

you get the richness of colour that helps bring them to life

ABOVE People, such as this

fellow photographer, make

ideal subjects for silhouettes

BELOW RIGHT If you’ve got

interesting clouds, you can do

away with the land...

BELOW It may take many shots to capture the perfect

one when your silhouetted object is on the move!

DCMAG.CO.UK

READERTIPS

dcmag.co.uk/sunsets

©

S t e v e B a v i s t e r


TOP3 ESSENTIALIMAGE-EDITINGTECHNIQUESOnce you’ve taken your sunset shot,follow these tips for the best result:

[1]DYNAMIC RANGETo get the full range of colours in the

image, use AutoLevels for a quick fix.This may dull down the colours,

though, so make sure you...

[2]GETTHE COLOUR RIGHT

If your colours come out a bit wishy-

washy, boost them in Photoshop. Go

to the Channel Mixer tool and boost

the red channel for cool effects.

[3]SHARPER SILHOUETTES

There’s nothing quite so dramatic as a

sharp sillhouette against a colourful

sunset. To sharpen without affecting

the sunset, create a selection around

the sillhouette and sharpen its edges.








Of course, with a little imagination you can create

your own silhouettes by placing something suitable in

front of the scene. If you can find a willing subject, the

nude human body can make for a great composition,

or you can use a simple object such as household fan.

Generally, you won’t have to adjust your meter. The

camera will expose for the background, and your

subject be recorded without detail – which is what

you’re after. In addition, the colours of the sunriseor sunset will be rich and vivid, which is also what

you want. Small errors can be tweaked in the

computer, but if the exposure is badly out, make

adjustments at the time you take the shot.

When shooting silhouettes, you need to take

good care to avoid flare. Because the light is pointing

directly at the camera, it can bounce around inside

the lens and reduce contrast. To minimise the risk

of this, fit a good lens hood.

While you don’t actually want flare, because it’s

difficult to control, the effect can be appealing. Some

software programs have a ‘flare’ filter, which letsyou, at the click of a mouse, produce the effect

in a controlled way.

Big sky landscapesMaybe it’s the ‘land’ in the name – but most

landscape images seem to concentrate on the

curves and textures of the earth. And while such

pictures are often successful, there’s another way

of thinking about your scenic work – and that’s

by concentrating more on the sky element.

Such ‘big sky’ landscapes often have a senseof expansiveness that better captures the experience

we have when we’re in a place. Because the

panoramic vision of our eyes takes in so much around

us, the results from even a wide-angle lens can

sometimes be disappointing.

Generally, the land element takes up at least half,

and often two-thirds of the composition. But simply

reversing the ratio, so there’s two-thirds sky, changes

the dynamic completely. Of course, you need the

right kind of landscape, and there usually has to

be something interesting happening in the sky for

it to work – a sunset or a strong cloud formation. Flatareas, such as The Fens or The Netherlands, offer

particularly good potential, but it’s an approach you

can use pretty much anywhere.

Obviously you’ll need to use your widest lens

setting, and finding a vantage point where you can

look down on the subject can also help.

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Kelvin Source10,000K Blue Sky

7,500K Shade under blue sky

7,000K Shade under cloudy sky

6,500K Deep shade in daylight

6,000K Overcast weather

5,500K Noon Daylight/Electronic Flash

4,500K Afternoon sunlight

4,000K Fluorescent tube

3,5000k Morning/evening sunlight

3,000K Sunset

2,500K Tungsten lighting

Colour temperature describes the warmth of a scene.Most digital cameras are calibrated at 5,500K, whichis why colours can sometimes appear washed out.

THE LIGHT FANTASTIC2


SUNRISE & SUNSET TIMESThere are lots of internet sites that

allow you to check the sunrise and

sunset times for a specified location.

Here are a couple worth checking out:

http://www.timeanddate.com/

worldclock/astronomy.html?n=136Nice, straightforward website that

gives you sunrise and sunset times

in the UK.

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/

docs/RS_OneDay.htmlYou can obtain the times of sunrise,

sunset, moonrise, moonset, transits of

the Sun and Moon, and the beginning

and end of civil twilight, along with

information on the Moon’s phase byspecifying the date and location.

http://www.sunrisesunset.com/

custom_srss_calendar.aspDoes just what it says on the tin.

Because the panoramic vision of our eyestakes in so much around us, the results from

even a wide-angle lens can be disappointing

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ABOVE A thoughtful figure, contemplating the scene

adds added focus to a sunset-scape

RIGHT This child running on a sunset-lit beach

makes the perfect, atmospheric silhouette


http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=136


http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/rs_oneday.html


http://www.sunrisesunset.com/custom_srss_calendar.asp































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Create a magical landscape with theclever use of filters and just a fewtweaks in a photo-editing program






dcw03 11 sunsets

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