How to shoot sunrise and sunset?

Lead: For artists, sunset is an artistic theme that will never fade. Similarly, for photographers, it is the same. Here we have collected some very practical photography skills, so that you can better capture those beautiful sunset scenes.

1. Shooting plan

On average, the sunset takes only 30 minutes a day. So it is very difficult to capture that wonderful moment at the right time, which means that you must have sufficient preparation and reasonable planning skills. When shooting, you must pay great attention to controlling your time, layout and position until you finish shooting. It is worth noting that your composition and framing concept will increase the unique perspective of your final photography effect. Sometimes, you may have just walked by the roadside and witnessed an unforgettable sunset. If you are ready and understand the complexity of photography, this situation is unexpected, so it is not enough to surprise you.

2. Preparation for shooting (equipment and accessories)

Shooting a sunset requires enough natural light to expose it, so camera shake is not a problem. However, the lens you choose has a great influence on your final photographic effect. A long focal length lens can give you a magnified view of the legendary sun. On the other hand, a broad perspective can give you unlimited carving space. If you are shooting a sunset-themed picture, in order to make up for the underexposure, you may use the artificial light reflected by the diffuse reflection surface to control the change of this extreme natural light, but in any case, try to avoid using the flash.

3. Mastering the exposure at sunset is the key to shooting a beautiful sunset.

Capturing the splendor of the sunset and its magical light is very tricky. Observing the sunset with an implicit golden tone, the underexposure is enough to lead to the failure of this photography. What the sunset needs is a slight exposure to maintain the layout of its low-light environment (otherwise it will look like an afternoon scene). This is because the photometry of the camera is different from that of the human eye. So when you shoot the sunset, you always use this technique: directly measure the space above the sun (there is no picture of the sun), and slow down the shutter speed through the aperture of 1 f, which will delay the photographer's impression for half an hour. Follow this technique, and then get the right exposure, you can capture the perfect sunset photography effect.

4. Consider camera settings (and modes)

Tripod: Set your camera to cradle mode and consider taking three photos with equal exposure (less than one level, normal and over one level).

Aperture priority mode: Choosing the aperture priority mode of the camera allows you to better adjust the size of the sunset when imaging. To fully understand this principle, you need optometry. In any case, a larger aperture can make your subject have a larger image. If you want to get starlight imaging effect, you may need to set a smaller aperture value, such as f/ 16 or less.

Save it in RAW format when shooting: it is difficult to control the time when shooting sunset, and you must try to get enough exposure. When you take a picture, you can save it in RAW format, which allows you to make a big exposure adjustment when processing the image, and even restore the shadow in some details. At the same time, it can better control various parameters, such as white balance, contrast, saturation and so on.

5. Photographic composition? Plus my own understanding of the sunset

Take your unique perspective as the core of photography art and run through the whole work of photography composition. Photographic composition is to increase readers' interest in pictures and finally attract readers' attention. When you shoot a sunset, try to recall and use one or more of the following creative techniques:

Trigonometry: Trigonometry is a part of the law of synthesis, and its appearance implies that the artistic theme (or other main elements in photographic composition) is placed in the third part of the frame structure. This placement can start from any direction of the frame. The setting sun will look clearer and more natural when placed in the lower part of the picture or in a photo frame. Plus some close-up shots (such as birds, trees, rocks, etc. You may need to arrange the sunset in the first third or the last third, so that both can appear in the picture at the same time, and the effect is very good. However, when you are shooting, it is not entirely about sunset, it may be similar to the reflection of the sun on the sea. In this case, the theme covers a wider range, and then it will be integrated into the spatial layout of photographic composition.

Golden section method: the theme picture is arranged in the middle or one third of the picture, and the golden section method is more attractive, and the picture is biased towards the middle position. Putting the theme in the middle may make those ugly pictures look hypocritical and mediocre. On the other hand, the use of the golden rule and trisection can often enhance the attractiveness of photos.

Try to use some other elements in the close-up: a single sunset doesn't look perfect. Adding some elements such as trees, hills, beach waves and so on to the close-up part will make your captured perspective more attractive.

Take the cloud as the background: Taking the cloud as the background will make the whole composition look more dramatic. At the same time, at the moment you shoot, the cloud may also destroy the whole picture you want. Looking for and capturing more attractive pictures usually refers to the restrained sunset? Maybe it's a small silver edge or a golden decorated cloud.

Natural framing: Adding natural framing pictures can integrate your creativity and imagination into the pictures you take, and then tell readers its own story through your pictures. If you are shooting a simple and calm sky, it may be more natural to shoot the sunset from the back of a tree or a certain angle of a rock to show its drama and the shooting concept centered on it. Although sometimes an extremely simple method like shooting? The sun on the horizon? It may eclipse all the above languages.

Perfect shooting location: beaches and sunset spots (mountains and hills in the sunset) are considered as the first choice destinations for shooting sunsets. The combination of sunshine on the calm sea and golden sand beach (after the tide recedes) can be said to be the best composition. But it can only be compared with the sunset scenery taken from the perspective of wheat fields and flower decorative crops.

Silhouette: Silhouette is a creative way to emphasize the sunset? Settings? Effect. It allows you to highlight the shooting effect of sunset through the hidden details of foreground elements/objects (elements hidden in shadows without any details).

6. Finishing (in order to restore the original image effect of sunset as much as possible)

In post-processing, retouching may only make your image look more professional. If you are a purist, you can skip this step directly. However, like everyone else, a perfect film needs a lot of work, including perfect post-production. If your image is raw data, then this step is essential. Proper adjustment of golden warm tone, white balance and tone will help the picture return to the original scene. Try to adjust this delicate balance, try to reduce the sense of falsehood, and keep the natural appearance and feeling of the sunset.

Looking back at the photographic sketch of the sunset scene in the above tips, it is incredible that it is so real. Please collect them and add them to your beautiful sunset album.