Calling all Sunset photographers - Advice needed

I'm off to Cornwall camping for a couple of weeks on Saturday and am planning on taking lots and lots of photos!

I usually shoot flowers, my daughter, weird stuff, my daughter, wildlife, my daughter....... Never had much luck with landscapes, i can look at a shots and think wow, that's amazing, but mine usually turn out terribly, bland skies, dull greenery etc.

My aim is to get at least one nice sunset picture, so am looking for some tips!

I have a 20D, an 18-55is, 55-200 and a 60mm macro (which never usually leaves the body) I've a gorrilapod and a full tripod (but ideally wouldn't like to take due to space issues while camping (in the car) an ND Grad filter and looooots of space on a memory card.

Any advice would be great, thanks in advance

I'm no expert and am still learning. However when I was in Cornwall earlier in the year the best result I had was using a 24-70mm at 24 and using a Cokin holder with a 4 stop GRAD ND. The biggest issue I had was lens flare from shooting into the sun. I even tried using a 10 stop B&W and then using the grad ND over the top - a real pain to set up and I still had lens flare!

From the reading I have done I think a hard ND is the way to go now so when I go back later this year I'll give it a go. Good luck!

Sorry what's that please? Is it Circular Polarizing Filter? Will a CPL always remove lens flare?

Reverse GND...perfect when you have the sun at or near the horizon.

Arrive early at your destination, consider where the sun is setting, and scope out the best spot you can find (rarely is it the most accessible one).

And remember, when the sun is gone, the photo opportunities don't go with it! Stick around, observe the colors of the sky and keep shooting. My personal favorite sunset shot was well after the sun had already set.

One thing I have learned from several pros over the past couple of years....for most outdoor shooting the only filters you need are CPL and a VND to smooth out water at a waterfall, creek..etc.. You can do the GND or inverse GND effect in post procesing with tools you already have paid for (LR, PSE, PS).

Remember that we are in the field to capture as much data as possible with the camera sensor. A filter stops us from capturing some data (otherwise it would not be a filter). Better to capture as much data in the field as possible and so that we can decide later in postprocessing how much data to remove or alter.

Fewer filters means more money to spend on higher quality filters (B+W, SingRay, etc,) and lenses. It also means less hardware to pack, carry, break, or lose. When it comes to filters...less can be more.

Take my word for it...NO grads, NO polarizers.! Every bit of glass between those lovely lenses and the sunset will cause flare.
Take a look through my posts if you like...I live in a place that has terrific sunsets and I take them ad nauseum...believe me, just keep it simple, keep your lens clean, bracket the exposures till you get the hang of it.
If you're metering with the sun in picture chances are the readings will be okay. But I normally underexpose a bit, then bracket.

Here's a couple at random....nothing fancy in PP...just straight shots.

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I'm really lovin' that last shot Ricardo!

Naturalist wrote in post #10594292
I'm really lovin' that last shot Ricardo!

Thank you. I walk that hill with my dogs after work every day and at this time of the year the sunsets are often stunning.
I keep telling myself I don't need any more, but I keep on taking them anyway!

GlobexCo wrote in post #10591614
Arrive early at your destination, consider where the sun is setting, and scope out the best spot you can find (rarely is it the most accessible one).

And remember, when the sun is gone, the photo opportunities don't go with it! Stick around, observe the colors of the sky and keep shooting. My personal favorite sunset shot was well after the sun had already set.

That is very good advice, and a great shot as well.

I should add to my previous advice about not using filters....try them by all means as some of the effects could be worth it, but don't believe that you have to have special equipment to take good sunset shots.
This one was taken on my 17-40mm with no additions or PP.

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I'll keep my filters and skip the hours of post processing.

argyle wrote in post #10596879
I'll keep my filters and skip the hours of post processing.

What hours of PP?
I agree...life's too short for hours of PP!

sancho1983 wrote in post #10565731
I'm off to Cornwall camping for a couple of weeks on Saturday and am planning on taking lots and lots of photos!

Cornwall looks to be an amazing place for some nice seascape sunrise/sunsets. Heaps of interesting beaches with amazing rock formations and cliff views. All you need is a tripod and some grad filters (at least a 3 stop hard edge), but the important thing is to wait for the right light. Don't expect to head out one evening and come back with amazing shots, it might take a few goes.

For inspiration, check out one of my Flickr contact's photos, he has some amazing Cornwall shots: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/24562498@N03/

I'd love to shoot there myself one day.

Cheers,
Chris

So is it possible to use a CPL and filters?