Western Oz Sunset Shots

[Imagenif]

Hi All,

Im travelling to WA on monday for biz & thought id pack my camera & try my first sunset shots off a beach. I have no idea what I'll need in terms of filters or techniques etc. Any help would be much appreciated. I'll be using my 18-200 EFS IS lens with the 50D. Thanks

Tony

[peterking]

From a WA member, I don't use filters as I have enough problems with just a camera and lens.
I think timing is going to be your biggest issue. Of late the sunsets have been few and far between and very quick. In summer it can take 2 hours whilst at present if you have 20 min you're lucky. Depending where you're going to be Scarborough or Cottesloe are both good places.

[ricktas]

Filters for sunsets, sunrises. Neutral Density Graduated (NDGrad) filters are your friend. These darken the sky whilst leaving the land unaffected. Quite often the range of brightness in a sunset/sunrise is greater than your camera's sensor can handle, so using an NDGrad can darken the brightest part of the scene (sky) to give you a better overall exposure of your scene.

[dosdan]

Filters for sunsets, sunrises. Neutral Density Graduated (NDGrad) filters are your friend. These darken the sky whilst leaving the land unaffected. Quite often the range of brightness in a sunset/sunrise is greater than your camera's sensor can handle, so using an NDGrad can darken the brightest part of the scene (sky) to give you a better overall exposure of your scene.

Yes, I use a GND. The only problem I noticed on a sunrise on the the East Coast last week is that it make all the sky darker. There's an filter called the reverse GND which is darkish just above the middle and then gets lighter toward the top. This means that the setting/rising sun is controlled, but the top of the sky is not overly darkened. Look part-way down this web page to see the gradient profile and an example of the result.

Dan

[Imagenif]

Thanks Peter & Rick, much appreciated.

[Imagenif]

Thanks Dan, I like the look of that! Do you know any stockists in Sydney?

[dosdan]

Thanks Dan, I like the look of that! Do you know any stockists in Sydney?

Tony, sorry, I don't.


Dan