Tips on Sunrise

[Ahtim78]

Hi all,


I'm going to go out this week and try to get some good sunrise/sunset shots mostly over seaside so I'm planning to get the reflection as well also with the smooth and silky water surface.
Does anyone have some information on good camera settings for capturing these types of shots? I'm still messing around a lot with my settings and getting mixed results many times.

I'd also be interested in information on filters as well, if you use them for these shots.
Will it be better using GND or just ND filter?
If getting the GND filter, do i go for hard edge or soft edge filter for the sea side sunrise ?
Do need some advice

Thanks in advance =D

 

[cheesy]

not a pro here but just wanna list some other gears that you may need.

- tripod
- ND/polarizer
- spirit level
- remote

 

[footscape87]

read up on hyperfocal distance...,it'll be of some help to you..

anyway..,if ya shooting sunrise/sunset,people usually shoot it @ low aperture..,from f8 onwards..,iso set it as low as possible..,shutter will depends on your lighting level..,and whether you are using nd filters or not..

my shutter would usually be around 10-15 secs without nd filter,if i have nd filters attached..,i usually go to about 45-60 secs...,watch out for the timing also..,if the sun has risen and up..,15-20 secs will be too long.. im using nd8 btw...

hope this little info helps.

 

[jeff7id]

Use the GND.

If you are taking picture of sunset with an entirely flat horizon, the hard ND grad is required allow you to get the transition between the dark and bright area quickly and match the contour of the object.

If the transition between dark and bright area in your object is irregular (due to big object such as buildings) it would be better to choose the soft ND grad.

 

[Ahtim78]

Use the GND.

If you are taking picture of sunset with an entirely flat horizon, the hard ND grad is required allow you to get the transition between the dark and bright area quickly and match the contour of the object.

If the transition between dark and bright area in your object is irregular (due to big object such as buildings) it would be better to choose the soft ND grad.

Hi,
Thanks much for info, i fully understand the different now. =D

read up on hyperfocal distance...,it'll be of some help to you..

anyway..,if ya shooting sunrise/sunset,people usually shoot it @ low aperture..,from f8 onwards..,iso set it as low as possible..,shutter will depends on your lighting level..,and whether you are using nd filters or not..

my shutter would usually be around 10-15 secs without nd filter,if i have nd filters attached..,i usually go to about 45-60 secs...,watch out for the timing also..,if the sun has risen and up..,15-20 secs will be too long.. im using nd8 btw...

hope this little info helps.

hi,
thanks much for your info
May i know your ND filter is referring to GND or just ND ?

 

[Ahtim78]

May i know how much an average GND4 cost ? does it included the adapter and the attachment for the filter ?

 

[giantcanopy]

The best is to shoot just before the sun appears across the horizon. the dynamic range is not the widest and u can get amazing hues ( if skies permit )

Once the sun crosses the horizon, the skies dramatically brightens and often overwhelms the sensor. U can try to salvage through raw files which may may not do the trick. Also try to use multiple exposure blending / hdri which may or may not turn out to be the best.

As for filters, technically, the reverse GND will help since the brightest will be smack at the centre and thats where you want to hold back the brightness the most. But since common variety GNDs are way more easily available, i guess any GND that holds back that bit of sun should do, with the caveat not to overdarken the skies.

* left is the reverse grad / right is the normal GND

Ryan

 

[Spectrum]

Reverse GND is pretty hard to find locally right?

 

[rainxp]

Hi all,


I'm going to go out this week and try to get some good sunrise/sunset shots mostly over seaside so I'm planning to get the reflection as well also with the smooth and silky water surface.
Does anyone have some information on good camera settings for capturing these types of shots? I'm still messing around a lot with my settings and getting mixed results many times.

I'd also be interested in information on filters as well, if you use them for these shots.
Will it be better using GND or just ND filter?
If getting the GND filter, do i go for hard edge or soft edge filter for the sea side sunrise ?
Do need some advice

Thanks in advance =D

Actually you can do so without any filter, the result will still be as good. Important will be the correct exposure used. After which, you can play around and try convert it into HDR. It look different. Enjoy. ;p

Something like this I captured...

 

[Diluted]

Actually you can do so without any filter, the result will still be as good. Important will be the correct exposure used. After which, you can play around and try convert it into HDR. It look different. Enjoy. ;p

Something like this I captured...

:bigeyes:

 

[Francis247]

Reverse GND is pretty hard to find locally right?

Not really.
TK Foto got Reverse GND from Hi-Tech.

 

[kriegsketten]

Actually you can do so without any filter, the result will still be as good. Important will be the correct exposure used. After which, you can play around and try convert it into HDR. It look different. Enjoy. ;p

Something like this I captured...

Simply radioactive dude!

I know we're debating about building nuclear power plants in the near future... but seriously I didn't know we are already suffering from the side-effects... :bsmilie:

 

[kriegsketten]

Not really.
TK Foto got Reverse GND from Hi-Tech.

Do all reverse GND comes with hard edge? I wonder if there is a soft kind...

I imaging it's going to be tricky to use, if the ND part is too strong... it's gonna make the area below the horizon brighter than the sky and sun right?

 

[Francis247]

Hi all,


I'm going to go out this week and try to get some good sunrise/sunset shots mostly over seaside so I'm planning to get the reflection as well also with the smooth and silky water surface.
Does anyone have some information on good camera settings for capturing these types of shots? I'm still messing around a lot with my settings and getting mixed results many times.

I'd also be interested in information on filters as well, if you use them for these shots.
Will it be better using GND or just ND filter?
If getting the GND filter, do i go for hard edge or soft edge filter for the sea side sunrise ?
Do need some advice

Thanks in advance =D

ND filters are designed to reduce the amount of light passing through the lens so that a longer exposure is required to record an image.
GND is used to balance the exposure in cases where the sky which is often brighter than the ground. They allow you to darken the sky so it requires the same amount of exposure as the ground, recording a balanced image in a single exposure.

If you are getting a GND, go for the soft edge filter first.

This shot was taken using a GND filter.

 

[Francis247]

Do all reverse GND comes with hard horizons? I wonder if there is a soft kind...

I imaging it's going to be tricky to use, if the ND part is too strong... it's gonna make the area below the horizon brighter than the sky and sun right?

Unfortunately, it is all hard horizons. :sweat:
It is indeed very tricky to use. I am still struggling with it.

 

[kriegsketten]

Unfortunately, it is all hard horizons. :sweat:
It is indeed very tricky to use. I am still struggling with it.

Thanks, good to know you're a user. What strengths do they come in? From 1 to 4 stops?

 

[ed9119]

use different WB settings or fool around with the Ks to get different effects too

 

[Francis247]

Thanks, good to know you're a user. What strengths do they come in? From 1 to 4 stops?

RGND 0.3 - 1 Stop
RGND 0.6 - 2 Stop
RGND 0.9 - 3 Stop

No RGND 1.2 so far...

 

[kriegsketten]

RGND 0.3 - 1 Stop
RGND 0.6 - 2 Stop
RGND 0.9 - 3 Stop

Thanks for the info! I'm surprise you didn't mention RGND for the above picture you've posted, isn't that a one good location to use a RGND? Forgive my noob comment about this... maybe a GND is more suitable.

 

[Francis247]

Thanks for the info! I'm surprise you didn't mention RGND for the above picture you've posted, isn't that a one good location to use a RGND?

Did not use the RGND for the picture above. Just a normal GND that will do the trick.