Kentski Loc: Michigan

I am going on vacation shortly and hope to capture some great sunsets over Lake Michigan. My past experience at sunsets has been hit or miss. Equipment: DSLR, lens 14-45mm and17.5-45mm, tripod.

Whats the best way to meter sunsets, priority settings etc?

Thanks in advance!

Al FR-153 Loc: Chicago Suburbs

Here is a good video to watch on the subject. I am sure there are more but this will get you started.

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

You do not indicate whee on Lake Michigan you may be going, but the weather usually comes in from the NW to the SW. You may be able to get some good lightning and/or cloud shots as well. There are videos that you can watch for that as well.

If you can find a lighthouse in the area you are going, they make a great subject to shoot during a sunrise or sunset. There are plenty of them around the lake, just depends on where you are.

Good luck shooting and have fun. Remember..... That water is still pretty cool in places.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/greatlakes/?c=tmp&l=lm&p=a

mafadecay Loc: Wales UK

1st thing get auto WB off and go with cloudy WB instead which will warm the image up a bit.

Other essential kit is a lens hood to cut down flare. You might play around without it off and get a nice deliberate flare shot though. Do not bother using a polorizer or any other filter either for that fact. Your lens will be clearer without a UV on.

I would go with spot metering as average or centre weighted will get fooled. Trouble is where to meter from. I would compose your shot spot meter the sky with the sun just out of frame and use exposure lock to lock in the values then recompose what you want in the viewfinder and take your shot. If this is too complex take a meter reading of the same spot with sun just out of frame and manually enter the values when you recompose.

Remember light drops and changes every second so you will have to re-meter often. Exposure lock will be a quicker method.

Tripod is essential as I would go in aperture priority somewhere between F/8 - F/22 so your shutter speeds will be slower. You might want to dial in -1 to -2 stops of exposure compensation to underexpose a little. I would try and keep ISO as low as you can as using a tripod but you might still have to go higher. I would try not to go higher than ISO 400 to keep noise down.

Also as you are spot metering try and look out for any objects on the lake that might make for silhouettes. Your reflections should be stunning.

Only other thing I can think which I am sure you do anyway is keep an eye on the horizon and make sure its straight. This is the one time you can get away with breaking the rule of thirds. You can go half and half or two thirds sky to one third foreground where most landscapes are the other way round. Play about what works well. Half and half works good with the reflection of the sun in the water.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

Bracket. Sunsets happen more rapidly than most people realize. Shooting across Mobile Bay I had about a 5 min. window to capture the sun on the horizon. Maybe less. I had a favorite spot and always used a tripod even at higher shutter speeds. I'd set up, pick out my foreground, and wait on mother nature. A foreground with grasses or maybe some overhanging branches adds interest rather than just water and sun. :thumbup:

photopop44 Loc: Roun Drock, Texas

I would add to this, set your saturation to high and the color to vivid. In your composition consider the reflection, sometimes it's more interesting than the sky. This will not be a popular suggestion but while learning you may want to take one or two using the Sunset Scene Mode and see what the manufacturer thought would work. They know about all of these camera setting tricks and some more.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

Bracket and shoot a bunch - then pray

rmp3636 Loc: Cape Cod

Don't quit too soon. Somteimes there are great colors and hues as much as twenty minutes after the sun goes down, especially if you have nearby clouds. Good luck.

joedebo Loc: around Buffalo NY

Hi I just started on UHH but I thought I would add my opinion as I live on Lake Erie and have had the privilege of many sunsets over water. All my pics here had a ND filter. And yes There are some flaring but not enough to stop me from using them as I can point directly at the sun. I dont often use a tripod here as sunsets change almost every minute, and there our to many possibilities to line up shots with grasses, trees and boats in the background just by walking along the beach. I like to shoot with an iso 200 and 5.6 f and just keep shooting and you will find no to pictures alike. Hope this can also help you as there are many knowledgeable people on this site

sunset bay NY


angola NY


Presque isle PA

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

With auto bracketing +/- set to three stops and a little PP you shold get decent shots. At least you're not shooting Kodachrome 25. :lol: :thumbup: I got to know a certain location and knew through trial and error what worked. Of course I was close enough 5 Min. I could go back daily. Partial clouds that were "painted" orange add a lot. If I can find the damn files I would post some photos. Don't forget sunrises. I have some great shots with the sun rising over Grande Lake in Colorado with sailboats anchored on the lake. Of course it depends on if can shoot East to West or West to East. Sometimes that's not an option. Good luck! :thumbup:

Kentski Loc: Michigan

Thanks all... some great suggestions! We will be staying near Saugatuck two nights and a TBD spot the third night. The Youtube link was good and funny.

Under exposure/increased saturation looks to be the key with manual white balance. I am trying to set up a preprogram in my camera with these and auto exposure bracketing so I can save time. Hopefully, there will get some good shots.

joedebo...some nice shots!

Thanks Again

seeingwhatis

Someone already mentioned it, but bracket as much as you can manage. Experiment with different f-stop starting points and do it all over again. With digital cameras experimenting is made easy.. Enjoy those beautiful sunsets.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

I would tend to bracket more with with different shutter speed settings rather than aperture. That way you control DOF which may be more important when including foreground objects. Depends on how low the light level goes and what effect you're looking for. One great thing about digital is the ability to change "film speed" in the middle of the roll and control the balance between shutter and aperture control. :thumbup:

Tom H Loc: St. Louis, MO

One book I read long ago suggested looking behind you too. It was good advice. Sometimes the sunset you see when facing away from the sun is as good or even better than the one seen facing toward the sun. Wish I could credit the photographer/author for this advice.

Tom Hudson

Dun1 Loc: Atlanta, GA

Here is a link to a site that will help you calculate sun rise and sun set shots.
http://www.golden-hour.com/

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

Great website. Thanks for sharing! :thumbup: