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04-05-2011, 09:36 AM   #1
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Sunrise & Sunset Photos

I'll be touring Grand Canyon National Park and others in the Southwest. I would like to get some good sunrise & sunset photos.

My prior shots of sunrises and sunsets have shown beautiful color and detai, but the sun surface itself is so white it nearly burns a hole through the photo. I have tried a CP filter, which has helped a bit. This time I thought I would use a ND filter instead.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to turn back some of the intense whiteness of the sun in sunrise and sunset photos?

Thanks for your suggestions.

Ed

04-05-2011, 11:24 AM   #2
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Don't point the camera at the sun! Or wait until it drops behind cloud or just below the horizon. Also look in the other direction to see what magic is being worked there by the sunrise / sunset light.




(this was taken using Fujichrome, and ME Super and a 50mm lens, and as far as I remember it's several vertical frames stitched)
04-05-2011, 02:47 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by cats_five Quote
Don't point the camera at the sun! Or wait until it drops behind cloud or just below the horizon. Also look in the other direction to see what magic is being worked there by the sunrise / sunset light.




(this was taken using Fujichrome, and ME Super and a 50mm lens, and as far as I remember it's several vertical frames stitched)
Good advice. I get pretty good results metering off the sky around the sun - not the sun itself. Something with brightness in-between the brightest & darkest areas in the shot. I use center-weighted metering mostly.
04-05-2011, 11:30 PM   #4
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I found another one, also an old photo taken this time on Kodachrome. In the original scan the bottom part was very, very dark (darker than here) and I used curves to lighten it. I've got away with having the sun in without it burning out because it's dropping behind some thin high cloud. Also because it was taken on film each image has it's own new sensor - I wouldn't want to point a digital camera at the sun for the same sort of reasons I don't look directly at it.

The saturation has been tweaked as well. Because it was on Kodachrome I didn't use D-ICE and because it was one of those card mounts there was lots of dust even after cleaning it, and I didn't spot them all out when I processed it. The stricken vehicle on the right is also in a big bit of lens flare.




04-06-2011, 08:10 AM   #5
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I have The Photographer's Ephemeris quite useful for planning shots like this. It will give you not only the rising and settings times for the Sun and Moon but also the azimuths so that you know what direction things are happening.
04-06-2011, 09:36 AM   #6
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Take a lot of shots. Bracket your shots. If you expose for the sky, the background will most likely be a sillouette or close to it. This is one of those times when some HDR comes in handy. If you really want to do a lot of sunsets, then investing in a graduated neutral density filter might be a worthwhile investment. Different lenses handle flare better than others. As for shooting into the sun, browse through the forum and check out some shots taken with the DA 15 and 21 Limiteds.
04-07-2011, 03:17 AM   #7
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Some great advice here! I am planning a simular trip the first of June so this is helpful.
I want to get in as much Practice as possible before that time. ( if we can ever get some sunshine here in Seattle )
I have monkeyed with a graduated ND filters before and they are helpful. I have the Pentax DA 16-45 but the DA 15 should arrive today as I purchased it with this trip in mind. ( I also want to explore the WA world a bit )

I haven't tried it yet but you could also look into Blending. Not sure what software you use but here is a simple tutorial for Photoshop Elements. naturephotographers.net Anyway it will give you a general idea to the technique. I hope to get some Practice with it soon also. Good luck and enjoy the beautiful scenery there.


Last edited by OrenMc; 04-07-2011 at 03:34 AM.
04-07-2011, 08:21 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by OrenMc Quote
Some great advice here! I am planning a simular trip the first of June so this is helpful.
I want to get in as much Practice as possible before that time. ( if we can ever get some sunshine here in Seattle )
I have monkeyed with a graduated ND filters before and they are helpful. I have the Pentax DA 16-45 but the DA 15 should arrive today as I purchased it with this trip in mind. ( I also want to explore the WA world a bit )

I haven't tried it yet but you could also look into Blending. Not sure what software you use but here is a simple tutorial for Photoshop Elements. naturephotographers.net Anyway it will give you a general idea to the technique. I hope to get some Practice with it soon also. Good luck and enjoy the beautiful scenery there.
Congrats on the purchase. You are lucky to find one. I have been waiting for my tax refund and now that the taxes are done, it seems the DA 15 is out of stock everywhere and the few that do have one have jacked up the prices big time.
04-07-2011, 02:26 PM   #9
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Thanks, I know what you mean about the prices. I also have the DA* 50-135 on the ( Maybe) list to get before the trip. It was $819 just a few weeks ago at B&H and now it is $899.

I am looking forward to try something different. It seems I have my 300mm or macro lens stuck on the camera. I know I have the wide end of the DA 16-45 but for what ever reason rarely use it so with the DA 15 I am telling myself to explore.

Last edited by OrenMc; 04-07-2011 at 02:31 PM.
04-07-2011, 05:18 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by OrenMc Quote
Thanks, I know what you mean about the prices. I also have the DA* 50-135 on the ( Maybe) list to get before the trip. It was $819 just a few weeks ago at B&H and now it is $899.

I am looking forward to try something different. It seems I have my 300mm or macro lens stuck on the camera. I know I have the wide end of the DA 16-45 but for what ever reason rarely use it so with the DA 15 I am telling myself to explore.
Just checked - $919 at Adorama
07-15-2011, 06:21 PM   #11
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Thread needs a wakeup - here's a recent sunset, when the temp was about 98F:
K100D & 18-55 kit lens:

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