Dallas Sunsets
sunsetsunday1
Originally uploaded by allthingsworthy.
Just a few sunsets I've gotten over the last year. I really seem to have a hard time figuring out why it is that sometimes I can get a picture of sunsets, the way I see them with my eyes, and other times I cannot.
Lane G
Hi Lane, nice pics.
ReplyDeleteYou know, one of the trickiest aspects of a sunset is that it's usually a very contrasty situation between the dark foreground and the bright highlights of the clouds and sun. When metering, try and determine what the most important aspect of the pic that you would like to capture. If it's the cloud details and color, meter for a clear part of the sky and bracket around that. If it's a landscape take a meter reading from an area with lighting that is in the middle of the bright and dark and take a few shots on either side of that exposure. You should be able to see results after a while and get the shots you want.
Thanks! Just the sort of help I am looking for.
ReplyDeleteLane,
ReplyDeleteBrad hit it on the nose. Sunsets are difficult because of the disparity in light in the sky vs. the land visible in the scene. Bracketing is invaluable. What kind of camera do you use? If you don't have manual settings, quite often you can 'lock in' an aperture setting by pointing the camera to different areas with varying light until the levels are right, then press down the shutter button half way and hold it...then point your camera to where you want to take your picture and snap off the shot. This likely sounds confusing, but it's effectively focusing the camera on an area with the proper light balance for how you want your final shot to look, capturing that light value, then redirecting your camera to your subject and taking the picture (caution on focal length/depth of field). It might take a little practice, and your camera might not have this capability, but it can be a great workaround for those using cameras with fewer manual options. Hope this helps as well.
CR