My first attempt at a sunset - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

laconic1 · 03-12-2007, 06:45 PM

I just bought a Canon PowerShot A640 a couple of weeks ago and haven't had much of a chance to play with it. I haven't done any photography since high school ten years ago but I am starting to learn again. I took this pic of the sunset from my apartment balcony. The only editing I have done was to resize in the GIMP so it isn't so honking huge. I'd like to get some feedback on how I can do better next time. One thing I noticed moreso on the full size version is that the pic is somewhat grainy. Is this the result of the ISO setting being too high? I had it at ISO 800. Here is the data on the pic.

Aperture F8
Exposure Bias 0
Exposure Mode Manual
Exposure Time 2s
FNumber F8
Flash No, compulsory
Focal Lenghth 29.2mm
Metering Mode Center Weighted Average
Shutter Speed 2s
White Balance Auto

Oh, I must add it was quit a bit darker out than the photo shows. It was completely dark out about 15 minutes after I took this pic.

fnaqzna · 03-12-2007, 06:59 PM

Couple of things I would have done differently.

1. Set ISO at 200. It's grainy because of the high ISO.
2. F8 is too small a depth of field. Try F22 or higher.
3. Experiment with the white balance. Auto isn't to be trusted.

Twizted · 05-01-2007, 09:02 PM

I haven't mastered sunsets either... but as fnaqzna mentioned, auto can be the problem when you're shooting in extremes as it's intended to work "most of the time".

I've been wanting to find a good scenic dark location (ie - no streetlights, buildings, etc... around) to practice sunsets. This is the best I've gotten, from a trip to Maui. Shot with a P&S camera...

Now that I have my D70, I think I could do better with practice.

skibum · 05-02-2007, 03:32 PM

Set the white balance to cloudy. Exposure on a shot like this is a pain in the butt. If you let the camera meter it will try to balance the scene (unless its set to spot meter). The dynamic range is greater than what the camera will do so you end up with a bright sky, black foreground. Getting the correct exposure will be impossible without filters or blending 2 shots, so meter for the sky only.

DarkTemplar · 05-31-2007, 09:40 PM

when i first got my d70s, i had a manual 50mm f/1.4 lens and i had to train my eye as a light meter, trial and error the exposure settings, but w/o a tripod and in the last few seconds of sunlight, i would keep the f-stop at 8 and shoot at a low iso. shutter speed varies depending on how steady your hand is...1/60 or 1/10 maybe. if necessary, use exposure comp.

05-01-2007, 09:02 PM	#3 (permalink)
Twizted Insane Location: Washington State	I haven't mastered sunsets either... but as fnaqzna mentioned, auto can be the problem when you're shooting in extremes as it's intended to work "most of the time". I've been wanting to find a good scenic dark location (ie - no streetlights, buildings, etc... around) to practice sunsets. This is the best I've gotten, from a trip to Maui. Shot with a P&S camera... Now that I have my D70, I think I could do better with practice. __________________ A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. -- Emo Philips

03-12-2007, 06:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
fnaqzna Meat Popsicle Location: Left Coast	Couple of things I would have done differently. 1. Set ISO at 200. It's grainy because of the high ISO. 2. F8 is too small a depth of field. Try F22 or higher. 3. Experiment with the white balance. Auto isn't to be trusted.

05-02-2007, 03:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
skibum Crazy Location: Colorado	Set the white balance to cloudy. Exposure on a shot like this is a pain in the butt. If you let the camera meter it will try to balance the scene (unless its set to spot meter). The dynamic range is greater than what the camera will do so you end up with a bright sky, black foreground. Getting the correct exposure will be impossible without filters or blending 2 shots, so meter for the sky only.

05-31-2007, 09:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
DarkTemplar Upright	when i first got my d70s, i had a manual 50mm f/1.4 lens and i had to train my eye as a light meter, trial and error the exposure settings, but w/o a tripod and in the last few seconds of sunlight, i would keep the f-stop at 8 and shoot at a low iso. shutter speed varies depending on how steady your hand is...1/60 or 1/10 maybe. if necessary, use exposure comp.