Tips on Sunrise

LRussoPhoto

Plan on going to the beach this weekend and want to try to get some good sunrise shots with the beach and ocean. Any tips? Whats a good f stop to start with? White balance? Should I under or overexpose? Just lookin for some pointers.

pathfinder

Take a tripod along, and a cable release and use them. They will make your lenses sharper.

Start about two or three stops smaller than your maximum ( widest ) aperture. With your f2.8 Sigma, try f5.6 or f8 to start.

Shoot RAW files, in Manual mode, in AWB. You will get different opinions on how to set color balance at sunrise, but lots of us shoot AWB and adjust our color balance in RAW processing.
Color balance at sunrise is an artistic choice, there is no single true answer.

Have fun!

LRussoPhoto

pathfinder wrote: »

Take a tripod along, and a cable release and use them. They will make your lenses sharper.

Start about two or three stops smaller than your maximum ( widest ) aperture. With your f2.8 Sigma, try f5.6 or f8 to start.

Shoot RAW files, in Manual mode, in AWB. You will get different opinions on how to set color balance at sunrise, but lots of us shoot AWB and adjust our color balance in RAW processing.
Color balance at sunrise is an artistic choice, there is no single true answer.

Have fun!

Thanks for the help.

eoren1

Great points above.
Try to get there at least 30 minutes before sunrise to capture great color
Also, try not to point the camera directly into the sun as you'll likely end up with flare spots that'll be hard to remove later
Try a few at minimum aperture (f/22) to get a nice sunstar effect

time2smile

where are you going...

If you are walking on the beach, get a extra large zip lock bag, just in case, easy to carry in your pocket.

i could never get up on days that are prime for shots.
Dont forget the sunsets, alot of shore towns have the bay on the other side, or at least some body of water...

Hope the clouds are with you...not to many, not to few...

As far as setting go, follow Pathfinders advise.

LRussoPhoto

Thanks for the advise. I was planning on using my 18-105mm to get a wider angle, should I be using my 70-200?

time2smile

you will want both with you....

pathfinder

Landscape shots are done with lenses from ultrawide 16mm to 300+mm lenses.

Many folks prefer wide to long, for landscapes in order to capture larger vistas, but you can find lovely sunrise and sunset shots with almost any focal lengths.

Do not think about the focal length of your lenses, however, just how to capture what pleases your eye.

Zooming with your feet, still is a fine plan.

Fixed prime lenses are still the finest optics, even with modern very high quality lenses.