Sunsets... help!

F

Fidelio

Active member
Hello all,

I have a shoot coming up for a student project that consists of shooting a sunset. The film will be a minute long, but the whole prospect of shooting a sunset sends a shiver up my spine, having been aware of its notoriety for being difficult.

I am only using a consumer camera to capture the entire event; are there any tips or advice that anyone can give me in regards to shooting sunsets?

I must admit that I am rather stressed over this at the moment.

Fidelio
 
First off, don't let yourself get stressed out.

I could help you out a little bit more if you could include some more detail for me. Are you shooting talent in the shot, or is it just a static sunset shot? What camera will you be shooting on?

Off the bat I can tell you to use your ND's as much as possible, without having to adjust the aperture. Compensate when you have to, but try to match it as best as possible to your eye. Don't use any additional gain. Shoot at a higher shutter speed, to get more detail out of the fine cloud areas.
 
Hey Andrew,

Talent will be in the shot, so that somewhat makes things slightly more complicated... I'm mostly concerned about the preparations one might have to take before doing such a shoot, if any. I don't have much clue as to what those procedures may be.

As for the camera, it is a consumer Panasonic PVGS200. I don't think there is even an ND option for that one, but the aperture/shutter speed are controllable.

Fidelio
 
Hi Fidelio,

Obviously, if you could do several practice shots before the day of the shoot, you'd learn a lot about the camera and best techniques. Also, you'll find the time goes by quickly and conditions change rapidly. So preparation is the key to mitigate your concerns. And be sure you don't overlook white balancing as your conditions change. As sunset strikes, you'll find the color temperature drops dramatically from 5100 to 3100 degrees. The lighting will transition from golden orange to more subdued colors as the sky gets vividly blue after sunset. To be sure, your iris/aperture setting will require significant changes over time (lower f-stop number after sunset).

At this point, concentrate on the important/critical details. Don't be concerned about secondary factors such as how the depth of field changes based on your new camera settings.

Since you plan to video talent, if you're taping before sunset, I recommend you bring along some form of reflectors (subject faces away from sun, bounce the sunlight on talent's face). Even an automotive window sun screen/shield or foamcore white board will be useful, provided you can position it close to your subject.

If you're interested in the technical and theory of the golden/magic hour, checkout this link. But if you're primary interest is in the sizzle of the skyline, here's a fun website with photos. Of course, there's always Wikipedia. And if you want a gold star from the teacher, use this site to determine the golden hour.

Good luck, Michael
 
these guys have made some really good points.

i would also think about the order at which you are shooting this (if you already havent thought about this)

i would try to shoot all of the shots where the sunset is in the shot first. maybe you are getting a two shot (2 people in frame) over the shoulder with the sunset in the background. i'd get all of those quickly. then go in for your other shots.

hope this helps.
 
Hey Michael,

Thank you for the informative links! They are very helpful, and your comments are very insightful. I reckon that you've had plenty of experience shooting sunsets?

Anyhow, I will keep everyone up to date as the project progresses.

Best,

Fidelio
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top