Going to be taking some Sunsets, need advice

I will be taking some sunset pics in florida. Some will be just the sunset, some will be with a subject, two to six people in the foreground of the subject. Do I need to use the flash on to get the subjects in the foreground to be visible? what setting is best for this type of shot. I have only used a point and shoot Fuji 2600 in taking these shots in the past. Now that I have my G6, I have great expectations

First and foremost the number one item on your 'sunset' list should be a TRIPOD!! After that you can play with the AV setting and let it choose the speed for you. And when you throw the people in front of the shot toggle your flash on and make sure you have the 'slow sync' option on so that the camera exposes for the sunset light and then adds the flash to your friends to expose them!

Hope this helps and maybe someone else can add more detail later.
Post them up when you get them!

Using fill flash is one approach--you may combine that with others as well. Check this article:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com …s/blended_expos​ures.shtml

You can also try shooting in RAW, and converting two different images from the same raw data--one with the sky exposed correctly, and one with the people, and then use the photoshopt technique above to blend the two. Alternatively, using the Auto-Exposure Bracketing function on your G6, you could capture three shots in rapid succession, two exposed on either side of your metered exposure, and blend the two extremes.

If you aren't a photoshop pro, you could also look at using a gradient filter, to darken the sky relative to the rest of the frame--but for that, you'd need to have the subjects' heads below the horizon (and below the neutral density portion of the filter).

I'd also suggest taking some of the portraits with the subjects facing into the sunset (and with your back to the sunset)--that lighting can be really neat.

Thanks for the advice. I am definately bringing a tripod. I will read up on the slow sync you mentioned. the other question I had was, should I set the exposure, by pressing the shutter button halfway, and aim it at the sky or the people in the foreground? My goal is to capture all the color of the sunset and also have the subects visible and not just be silouettes.

I can't wait to try this one...seems like a good tip, although, depending on how contrasty the highlights and shadows are, it could be tricky to find the optimum bracketing adjustments.

But that's the beauty of digital...you can try and see right away by trial and error

This would be more practical for photos without a human subject, unless your subject can maintain the exact pose for the duration of the bracketed photos.

Bosman,
You might experiment with using the * key to lock the exposure seperate from locking the focus. So aim at an area you want metered correctly, and press *; you'll see the camera set the exposure and aperture. Then you can aim at what you want to focus on, and half-press the shutter.
Which area you meter from depends a lot on the sunset, honestly--I'd try both, and look at the histogram to see if either is working. If it's really bright, and there isn't much behind you to reflect some of that light back into the foreground, there might be too much contrast for a single shot to capture--or even for AEB, as rgravel points out. And Nabil-A's point is also good--it's going to be hard to blend two images with movement in the foreground. If you have a tripod, and the scene is really contrasty, I'd take a picture of the sunset without anyone in the foreground, exposing it for the sunset. Then, without moving the camera, assemble people in the foreground, and expose for them. Then you can use the first picture as a backdrop to replace the overexposed areas in the second.

Not to make things too complex, but I've noticed that the automatic white balance on my G6 tends to make sunsets really red--to the point of being unreal. You might also look at packing a white 3x5 index card in your bag, and using the custom white balance setting off of the white balance menu--just fill the metering square with the white card in the same light you're shooting in, and press the Set button. Works very well! Just don't forget to reset the white balance back to auto before you're done shooting--I've made that mistake It's pretty obvious on the review screen the first time you take a shot in different light, but then you have to re-shoot.

Edit: I just re-read this, and it'd make a lot more sense to take a picture with the people first, since you can position the camera to fit them, rather than having them shuffle around ("No, my left--your right" etc.) to fit the frame you set for the sunset.

dbump wrote:
Bosman,
You might experiment with using the * key to lock the exposure seperate from locking the focus. So aim at an area you want metered correctly, and press *; you'll see the camera set the exposure and aperture. Then you can aim at what you want to focus on, and half-press the shutter.
Which area you meter from depends a lot on the sunset, honestly--I'd try both, and look at the histogram to see if either is working. If it's really bright, and there isn't much behind you to reflect some of that light back into the foreground, there might be too much contrast for a single shot to capture--or even for AEB, as rgravel points out. And Nabil-A's point is also good--it's going to be hard to blend two images with movement in the foreground. If you have a tripod, and the scene is really contrasty, I'd take a picture of the sunset without anyone in the foreground, exposing it for the sunset. Then, without moving the camera, assemble people in the foreground, and expose for them. Then you can use the first picture as a backdrop to replace the overexposed areas in the second.

Not to make things too complex, but I've noticed that the automatic white balance on my G6 tends to make sunsets really red--to the point of being unreal. You might also look at packing a white 3x5 index card in your bag, and using the custom white balance setting off of the white balance menu--just fill the metering square with the white card in the same light you're shooting in, and press the Set button. Works very well! Just don't forget to reset the white balance back to auto before you're done shooting--I've made that mistake It's pretty obvious on the review screen the first time you take a shot in different light, but then you have to re-shoot.

Edit: I just re-read this, and it'd make a lot more sense to take a picture with the people first, since you can position the camera to fit them, rather than having them shuffle around ("No, my left--your right" etc.) to fit the frame you set for the sunset.

Thanks for the great response. I don't have Photoshop so I won't be combining two pics, one of the sunset with people, one without. The other thing I was wondering if I should "lessen" the flash intensity as not to just get the foreground and "lose" the sunset? or is that the something related to the "slow sync" that was mentioned.
Sorry I'm not well versed in alot of these area.

Note that you cannot use the auto-bracketing feature if you are using the flash also...

I'd forgotten about AEB and flash--good catch.

Bosman, the flash has a pretty limited range, so don't worry about reducing the intensity for anything more than 30 feet away. If you're pretty close to your subjects, you may want to reduce the flash for them, however.

Yeah, what he said!!

Plus does everyone agree that he should use the AV mode or were there other suggestions for that?

Bosman,
Do let us know how the shots turned out, and what you learned in the field!

Taking photos with the subject centered or to one side and the sunset to the other side with the use of a polariser will yield some flattering sky detail. might be worth considering.

Thanks for all the great tips!
I will be going in a few weeks and will post some pics.