Photography News Issue 33

Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com

Technique

Sunrise and sunset shooting Time to burn There are few things that top the fiery glow of sunset or a blood-red sunrise – but one of them is the pleasure of capturing it with your camera. This month, find out how with insights from the Landscape Photographer of the Year’s contest sun-worshippers…

Words by Kingsley Singleton

To the Landscape Photographer of the Year (LPotY) winners we spoke to about shooting at sunrise and sunset, the attraction is clear; the mix of captivating colour and raking light cooks up scenes that are hard to resist. But how do you go about getting shots as good as theirs? Fortunately the likes of Ross Hoddinott, Frank Leavesley, Andy Tibbetts, Jeremy Barrett and Paul Bullen were kind enough to share some of their thoughts, extolling the virtues of gettingup early, staying out late and, as Jeremy also points out, “the chance to be alonewith the elements”. Hunting for sunsets Only certain conditions produce good sunrises and sunsets, and even fewer generate superb ones, so there’s always an element of luck

Keep monitoring the situation, especially if there’s been localised rain in your own area but nearby places have been sunny – if the clouds are starting to break up as you approach the sunset or sunrise time, you should be on high alert. Frank Leavesley (easystockimages. com) whose image of Corfe Castle was featured among LPotY’s published entries in 2015, says he always checks the weather conditions before heading out for a shoot. “I find light cloud will usually give a nice start and end to a day,” he says “and sun and rain showers can give something evenmore dramatic. Plain blue skies without clouds rarely give the best results. Still conditions, with no wind and a high humidity can mean there’s a good chance of a misty sunrise, and on the morning I shot Corfe the

involved. Are clouds really vital? It depends on what kind of look you’re after; an empty sky can give a good range of tones on its own, but with layers of cloud reflecting the light you’ll get a much ‘bigger’ sunrise or sunset. Not too much cloud though – a coverage of between 25% and 75% is best as you’ll get a more pleasing mix of cool blue sky and warmer clouds that way. The clouds also need to be fairly high, or they’re more likely to block the light. Can you predict when these conditions will happen?Well, obviously Internet weather maps are a good place to start, especially if the cloud looks broken towards the position of the setting or rising sun. Calm conditions can also make it easier to predict; changeable, stormy weather can look amazing, it’s just harder tomanage.

An empty sky can give a good range of tones, but with layers of cloud

you’ll get a ‘bigger’ sunrise or sunset

Above Sun and Tide at Nash Point by John Soliven, who relied on months of planning and a good long drive to get to this image of the setting sun and high tide.