Sunset and Sunrise Photography

It is the light and location, not the equipment, which makes a good sunrise or sunset picture. And with today's smartphones, you don't even need an advanced camera to capture a beautiful sky.

How to photograph a solar eclipse

Plan Your Pictures

Whether you have a smartphone or a more advanced camera, planning is the key to a successful shot.

• Find the sunrise and sunset times. If you use a compass to angle your camera, make sure to take into account magnetic declination.
• The golden hour, when the Sun is close to the horizon, makes the light magical.
• The blue hour is a darker stage of twilight where blue light dominates.
• Check the weather! Clouds that catch the sunlight can add a beautiful touch to the sky. Early morning mist and fog can add interest to landscapes.
• Meet up at least a half an hour before you plan to start shooting.
• Scout your location. Lakes, the ocean, windows, and buildings reflect light and add extra oomph to your picture.
• Find the Sun and its exact location in the sky.

Composing Your Image

• Take your time. Make sure you have plenty of time at the location and take test shots to decide the composition of your photo.
• Rule of thirds. By placing your subject off-center, either a third or two-thirds into the image, it can help your image be more dynamic.
• Straighten your camera. Crooked horizons wreck a good shot.
• Add a foreground. Trees, people, or buildings silhouetted against the colorful sky can add depth to your photo. This is a common trick used by professional photographers.

Using a Smartphone or Compact Camera

Smartphones and small compact cameras have a wide lens and a small sensor, so the Sun will look quite small in your images. However, you can play to the strengths of your mobile phone by catching the light.

• Find interesting scenery. Compose your image by including trees, buildings, or reflections.
• Turn off the flash. The flash will disturb the natural light.
• Move the lens. Let the Sun hit the edge of the lens to create lens flare.
• Turn around. Sometimes the best picture is behind you.
• Not happy with the result? Play around and try again.

Moonrise and moonset photography

DSLR Cameras

A good digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) can give more control over the image components.

• Use the big lens. A focal length equivalent of 200 mm or more helps the Sun look large in the image.
• Stabilize. Put your camera on a tripod or another stable surface like a fence or the ground. Use your timer, a shutter with a cord, or a remote to minimize camera movement.
• Keep adjusting the aperture. As the Sun rises, it gets brighter, and you need a smaller aperture. As the Sun goes down, it gets darker, and a wider aperture is needed.
• Manual exposure. Expose for the Sun and sky, and set the focus on your subject. Underexposure results in richer colors.
• Flash highlights. A flash can be used to light up your subject, set the exposure for the Sun and sky.
• High resolution. To capture as much information and detail as possible, set your camera to the highest resolution (jpeg) or take uncompressed images (tiff or raw).
• Keep shooting! Play around with different exposures and focus on various subjects. The light changes continuously.
• Edit your images. You can also crop, add contrast, tweak colors, layer, and so much more, by processing your images using photo processing software.

Topics: Astronomy, Sun