Sunset photo help

Mostly take sports photos but I enjoy a good sunset or sunrise but can not really seem to get them to look very good compared to what I am seeing at the time.

Here is an example from last night. Any basic suggestions? I don't have any PP software, so this is JPEG right out of the camera. Thanks for any tips.

IMAGE LINK: https://troybracker.sm​ugmug.com …lery/n-4qjsDB/i-hpq7R8X/A

What part is missing from what you experienced?

From a creative POV, pretty much everything is background elements. There is some mid ground but detail is severely lacking.

Foreground, mid ground and background are generally what makes a good landscape photo.

Is there a tree behind you? Include all or part of it.

Get on the ground and include a smaller plant or maybe a human subject in the foreground.

Do you have a long lens? Sometimes folks default to a wide lens to capture the landscape, but zooming in will change things completely. Your foreground element can be a quarter mile away.

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duckster wrote in post #18660774
[...] Any basic suggestions? [...]

I agree with Left Handed Brisket in that this is too open a question. Ask 100 people you'll get 100 different answer and none of them may answer what you really had in mind.

In short, there is a lot that can be done to improve this image, it's just without some starting point from you there is no way to keep the comments organized and beneficial for you.

Some of the things we would like to know is; what is it about this image that you don't like? What were you hoping to accomplish? If possible, maybe even link to an example.

LHB has made some very good points.

Don't place the horizon line in the center of the frame, unless you are doing a reflection type of image. Decide whether the sky or foreground has more interest and accentuate that by moving the horizon line up or down. Some really neat looking clouds or farming equipment in the foreground would really help the sample image you posted.

Shooting straight into the sun is difficult for many cameras because there is so much dynamic range. HDR or exposure blending multiple images can increase the dynamic range of your final photo.

If you are not going to PP your work, try different in camera processing settings...vivid, landscape, etc, to see what might work best.

OP, what was YOUR mental image of what you wanted to capture? Only then can anyone tell you what to do to make your photo more closely similar to your goal!

Thank you for all the suggestions. I guess I was thinking more of the colors not being as vivid. I realize this is a very boring bean field and doesn't have much to draw the eye but was looking more to capture the sunset colors. Maybe I am overthinking it. I did try to over-expose/under-expose it but I didn't think they looked any better, really. This is one that I took during the winter and was just so much more happy with the colors.

Photo from duckster's gallery.

Exposure has a major effect on the amount of saturation of color in the sky! Here is an example of merely adjusting Shadow tones to be brighter, and dropping Highlight tones to be darker.

Thanks Wilt

What software to you use for post processing?

I have not done any with the exception of a little cropping but maybe I need to bite the bullet and start to learn.

Sunsets, in general, are challenging because your on-camera exposure meter will lie to you and overexpose the overall scene. This is one of those classic cases where you either have to expose for the sky or expose for the foreground because you can't have both. Yes, adjustments can be made in post or you can use alternative techniques, but those are advanced processes you can learn down the road.

I'm sure many people here will advice you, as I will here, to start learning to shoot in RAW format. This will give you a lot more latitude for being able to explore editing possibilities.

If you haven't explored the technique of exposure bracketing I suggest you look up how to do it with your camera and the shooting mode you prefer (manual, aperture/shutter priority or program). At the time of capture, having the ability to capture a variety of exposures you can play with later will help you in the long run. Eventually you will learn how to control your exposure and you won't have to rely so much on a bracketed range. I hope that made sense.

For a more powerful, dynamic image, foreground elements are important. Unless it is a truly fantastic sky with lots of texture and color. Just realize that any foreground element will be underexposed to a silhouette and therefore the outer shape of the subject plays an important role in being able to read as that subject again the sunset sky. People in profile, trees, gazebos, church steeples and such are classic examples of silhouettes that present well against a sunset sky.

Don't get caught up in the awe of the sky to the point where you forget (or discount) other elements of good photography. Composition, subject, emotion and story all play together well to make a fantastic image. The great thing about digital is that you can review the image on your LCD and then make corrections accordingly.

Learning can be a frustrating task but it is what teaches us and pushes us to do better. Go out there and keep practicing.

Thank you for the information!

duckster wrote in post #18661244
Thanks Wilt

What software to you use for post processing?

I have not done any with the exception of a little cropping but maybe I need to bite the bullet and start to learn.

If you are running Windows 7 or later, why don't you give the Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) a try? You can read about it and download it from https://www.canon-europe.com …criptionid=tcm:​13-1328049. That will get you Digital Photo Professional 4.8.30 for Windows; the current version came out in April 2018.

If you are running a Mac OS, give https://www.canon-europe.com …El%20Capitan)&l​anguage=EN a try.

In either case, make sure what you are downloading is a Full Version, not an "Updater version". Tabs will show that but it is a bit confusing, click the Full Versions tab to be sure.

You should also get used to shooting RAW + JPEG for best use of DPP or most post processing software.

It isn't that sunsets are particularly hard to shoot, in this case the particular sunset you shot, while pretty, is just kind of meh.

The only reason I shoot any sunsets at all is because where I live we get these just really spectacular ones nearly every evening.

The suggestions above are good but I've found that most of the work with regard to gorgeous sunset pictures is done by nature. As far as actually shooting it, just shoot like you normally do....give yourself some DOF, frame as you see fit....I generally underexpose a touch....and fire. The biggest challenge, such as it is, is deciding on your composition. Otherwise, it's pretty straight forward shooting.

I agree that the original sunset was blah as far as interesting things going on, no clouds or anything. Was just trying to work on the exposure side of things, to see if I can get the colors right

John from PA wrote in post #18662409
[...] You should also get used to shooting RAW + JPEG for best use of DPP or most post processing software.

For me, shooting RAW and JPEG is a bit redundant. If you have the RAW file what is the purpose of the JPEG? If I want a JPEG I'll just generate it from the RAW.