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Sunrise Photography |
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Last Update: 26 July 2009 |
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A good sunrise is always a pleasant way to
start the day but it represents a challenge No doubt the initial challenging aspect of
taking sunrise photos is just getting up and getting to the location
where you want to take the photographs in good time. How big an
ordeal this is will depend on sunrise time. But no matter what the
time will be it will mean getting to the location during the hours
of darkness. Getting to the location about 30 minutes before the sun
peaks over the horizon provides sufficient preparation time. The
direction and timing of the sunrise is easily determined from
websites on the Internet or from applications built into mobile
devices (gps units and mobile phones).
Before getting to the location it is worth having in mind the kind of scene you wish to capture. It may help to visit the location during normal daylight hours in order to get some appreciation of the environment. However, while the light from the sun low in the sky be prepared for some changes.
Apart from the camera and lenses (if shooting
with a DSLR) probably the most
Assuming that for the scene to be taken depth
of field is not an issue, then the aperture White Balance should be set to 'Daylight' rather than Auto WB as auto will try and remove excessive colour casts produced by the rising sun. RAW is the format of choice to save images if it is available as it will ensure the best image quality is maintained and options are available if post processing is required.
Rather than just taking the obvious sunrise
photo the camera could be pointed away It may be considered that the best overall
effect if wanting to directly capture a sunrise is when there is
some background detail. This may be in the form of man made
With the light changing fast it will pay to plan in advance especially if sufficient experience has not been obtained. To minimise the possibility of camera shake a cable release should be used. Alternatively if that facility is not available (in situations when shooting with a compact camera) then the timer standby feature may be used. Most cameras these days are using evaluative
light metering which basically sample light levels from pre-defined
areas of the scene the camera is facing. The meter will try and
determine where the subject is based on AF sensor information. The
up shot of all of this is that the meter will try to determine if
any exposure compensation is necessary and apply it accordingly. The
advantage of this is that the scene may be exposed to your liking so
you don't need to take further action. The disadvantage is that the
results may not always be predictable as the camera is using it's
own intelligence. It is all about understanding how your meter
works. For those who want the alternate control may want to use
centre weighted metering. This does not offer the sophistication of
evaluative metering but the metering results are more predictable.
Whether using evaluative or centre weighted metering, exposure
bracketing will help to ensure that you have got the right The white balance setting of choice is no doubt Daylight. Using Cloudy or Shade will lead to overly warm rendition of the scene due to their higher colour temperature setting. Setting Auto White Balance may try and remove the orange / red colour cast from the rising sun though some auto WB try to recognize a sunrise / sunset scene. The rest is down to the imagination of the photographer. Interesting images can be captured during a sunrise and the challenge to the photographer is to produce a photo that matches his/her vision and yet have a character that sets it apart from the typical sunrise photo.
Travel:
Sunset Photography
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to capture it in a
convincing way. Preparation (like most things) is the key to going
home with a memory card full of decent photos. 
essential piece of kit will be the
tripod. Whether you are using a full sized tripod or just a much
smaller table top or gorillapad tripod it is important to steady the
camera. The shutter speeds achieve are likely to be too slow to hand
hold even with image stabilisation. Boosting ISO sensitivity may
help but the results may not be as good as required. It is always
handy to have a light weight tripod for easy of transport but that
is sturdy enough the weight of your camera plus lens. If you are
shooting with a compact camera then a light weight tripod will do
fine. 
This is one instance when autofocus is not
necessary as once the lens has been focused on infinity it does not
have to be refocused again (assuming the focus is accurate). With
the sun just below the horizon light levels will be low and manual
focusing must be done with care. With a compact camera that has
basic focus distance selection, the focus mode should be landscape
or infinity depending which option is provided. 
to be selected need not
be a large 'f' number. The aperture selected should be chosen where
the lens will perform at its best. This will typically be around f/8
to f/11 for a DSLR lens and lower for a compact camera (where
diffusion is more of an issue at the higher f stops). 
The type of lens to shoot with will be down to
the scene you wish to capture. A wide angle prime or zoom for
capturing a wide expanse of area or perhaps a telephoto lens to get
some nice big images of the sun rising. It is important to point out
here that the time between the sun being just below the horizon with
the sky starting to pick up colour and later being above the horizon
with significant brightness is quite short. Whilst the sun is just
above the horizon it's brightness is softened by the atmosphere but
once it's height becomes significant it's intensity becomes a danger
to the eye. 
from the sun and the light
and shadows forming on buildings or the landscape can make more
compelling images. All this depends on the atmospheric conditions of
course. With heavy cloud fall and the early sunlight being totally
obscured that the light levels slow increase but the overall scene
remains rather dull. The consider here therefore will be when there
is significant clarity to the sky for the sun's presence to be
clearly seen. 
structures, landscape, and clouds. In the case of the structures and
landscape details, the will be rendered as a near silhouettes. If
the photo you have envisaged will consist mostly of the sky
(especially in the case where a telephone lens is to be used) the
having some added detail in the sky will help turn what could
potentially be a dull photo into something of more interest. Cloud
formations on or near the horizon well help to do this. The clouds
may be rendered in a semi opaque manner with the sun behind them.
