Photographing Sunset: I have a Fuji Finepix S4000 "Bridge Camera". I love the camera and it takes great pictures, except when I try to take pictures of the sun. Maybe someone can tell...

firefly662 Loc: Warren, MI

I have a Fuji Finepix S4000 "Bridge Camera". I love the camera and it takes great pictures, except when I try to take pictures of the sun. Maybe someone can tell me what I am doing wrong here. Every picture, the sun is distorted with a weird glow around it, as in this picture. The setting I used was in aperature priority, f/5.9, SS 1/2000 and ISO 100. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

John345 Loc: Massachussetts

Hello Firefly, I had the same problem shooting pics of the moon. I got nothing but a big glowing ball . Try shutter priority and keep adjusting until you get it right.

Mozzie Loc: South Africa

You get a 'ball' because the sun is over exposed compared to the rest of the photo. Try turning your F-stops down (make the number bigger) until the exposure meter inside the viewfinder is zeroed. You will probably find that the yellows and reds of the sunset really start to come out.

Al FR-153 Loc: Chicago Suburbs

I posted this just the other day, but again, it is well worth watching. Somewhat funny too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuL9LRFjzQQ

Good information for shooting sunrise and sunset.

sudzmonn Loc: here , there , everywhere

I used f8 , 1/4000 the other day and it seems rather close - maybe work in that area and adjust from there . Good Luck , and send some pictures so we can get a few tips also .

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

Try metering off to one side of the sun, or off the water Depending on your goals, then recompose. You also might want to try f/11-f/22.

mgstrawn Loc: Atlanta, GA

OnDSnap wrote:

Try metering off to one side of the sun, or off the water Depending on your goals, then recompose. You also might want to try f/11-f/22.

This advice is right on. In March of 2011, my husband and I set off to board our first cruise but went to Key West a few days before our actual departure. I was armed with my first DSLR and so excited to photograph the Key West sunset at Mallory Square. It was pretty much a disaster, but I was lucky enough to end up with a couple of 'ok' shots thanks to post processing. That night I hit the Internet for tips as I didn't want to go the whole cruise not knowing how to capture a decent sunrise or sunset. One tip was that when you have an unnatural burned orange image, focus on the regular sky for a few shots which 'tricks' the camera's sensor and you will get a more natural image. Worked like a charm. Now, I know so much more about exposure control, etc., and I hope I get another opportunity some day at Key West. Google the topic and you will get wonderful tips and information!

Victoria1233 Loc: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

I get the same effect and can sometimes fix it in PSE9, but I'll be interested to hear from some of the experts on this forum.

With the sunsets I've taken, any good pics have been pure luck - right place at the right time. I have found that it helps to take photos every few minutes over a fair space of time in the same night. You may find that a particular moment in that sunset gives a better photo than other times (as the sun is setting).

In the meantime, lets hope someone comments and tells us BOTH a sure fire way to get good sunset pics EVERY time.

turp77 Loc: Connecticut, Plainfield

Hello Firefly I agree witn Mozzie I looked up your camera and you were at your fastest shutter speed and with your aperature setting you are over exposed for the sun.

firefly662 wrote:

I have a Fuji Finepix S4000 "Bridge Camera". I love the camera and it takes great pictures, except when I try to take pictures of the sun. Maybe someone can tell me what I am doing wrong here. Every picture, the sun is distorted with a weird glow around it, as in this picture. The setting I used was in aperature priority, f/5.9, SS 1/2000 and ISO 100. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

firefly662 Loc: Warren, MI

A Big Thank-you to all of you for the replies! I will definitely try some of these tips and then post another shot as soon as I get out there to take some more sunset photos! You guys are great! :)

twowindsbear

Al FR-153 wrote:

I posted this just the other day, but again, it is well worth watching. Somewhat funny too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuL9LRFjzQQ

Good information for shooting sunrise and sunset.

An 18 minute video with 2, maybe 3 minutes of actual instruction about sunsets??

nikonlad Loc: Venice, FL

Here is what I do.
Try to keep your camera even with the sun. Tilting or rotating the film plane will increase flare. Meter the sky without the sun in it or with the sun to the side. As OnDSnap said, Stop down as far as you can f11-f22. Try some focal lengths on the wide side to see if you can create a star- burst effect. If you have a tripod, bracket many exposures by choosing different shutter speeds so that you can make an HDR image during post processing..If I don't have a tripod, I still try to find a railing or something to rest my camera on for multiple exposure for HDR.

Al FR-153 Loc: Chicago Suburbs

twowindsbear wrote:

Al FR-153 wrote:

I posted this just the other day, but again, it is well worth watching. Somewhat funny too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuL9LRFjzQQ

Good information for shooting sunrise and sunset.

An 18 minute video with 2, maybe 3 minutes of actual instruction about sunsets??

If you can come up with a video that explains it better, then post it. I didn't make the video, only recommend it for the content on the OPs problem. Personally, I don't give a rat's as# if it is 40 minutes long. If it answers the question that I am seeking a solution to, I'll watch it. If it explains it well, or better than others that I have watched, I'll recommend it to whomever I desire.

flyingb70 Loc: Center, Texas

Hello; I really like your moon pic, I have been trying to get pics of the moon and I finely got a few of the full moon but I haven't got one like yours.. How did you get it to be so zoomed in? flyingb70

Shakey Loc: Traveling again to Norway and other places.

firefly662 wrote:

A Big Thank-you to all of you for the replies! I will definitely try some of these tips and then post another shot as soon as I get out there to take some more sunset photos! You guys are great! :)

Don't forget, you don't have to have the sun in the frame. Get some shots after the sun falls below the horizon. Stop down for drama. Post processing can make a huge difference to your photo. Here's an example. Happy shooting.

Sun just gone