Photographing at sunset
November 2nd, 2008 by Dan Bodenstein
Blue Heron
Any photographer will tell you lighting is crucial to get that perfect shot. When photographing nature, I try ( don’t always succeed) to shoot at sunrise, or sunset. Sunset is one of my favorite times to shoot due to the effect the colors in the sky has on subjects, especially feathers.
By adjusting your exposure settings, you can create silhouettes such as this one of the Blue Heron in the tree. Do you see his little friend? If you look at the larger version you’ll see a dragonfly on the branch just under the heron.
Now I have to admit, I wasn’t using a fast lens when I took these photos, so sharpness is not the best. I wasn’t expecting to be where I was, when I was, when I took them. (Does that even make sense?)
Red Shouldered Hawk
Some interesting colors can be seen in the Red Shoulder Hawk’s image. Look at his feathers, in contrast to the blue sky. He seems to glow a bit. That is part of what I love about dusk. Sunrise and sunset photography has less glare than the harsh lighting of the mid-day sun.
If you don’t have a very fast lens, try increasing your ISO rating a bit. The image may appear grainier but, you’ll at least get the shot. You may also want to shoot in RAW format. At least with RAW format you can tweak the exposure afterward to get the shot to match what you remember the moment to look like.
Comments
I love the sunset silhouette pictures. I like to take my pictures during the “golden hour,” that time of day just before sunset when the light becomes a syrupy gold color.
NathanKP – Imagination Manifesto
Theis is a great shot. Perfect silhouette!!
Thank you both.
Both of these shots were taken at Green Cay Wetland in Boynton Beach Florida.
http://www.naturocity.com/favorite-places/green-cay-wetlands/
The Blue Heron Shot reminds me of robert frost poem;
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
But with a great photo, it can stay
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