Sunrises and sunsets are fundamental images for landscape photographers, offering chances to display spectacular scenes bathed in the gentle light of dawn or dusk. The following suggestions provide guidance for effective sunrise and sunset photography from beginning to end.
Mads Peter Iversen presents a comprehensive workflow for capturing sunrises and sunsets in his latest video. Numerous factors must be considered while prepping for an early morning sunrise or a late evening sunset—there’s considerably more than merely arriving at a location right before the sun rises or dips below the horizon.
Iversen emphasizes the significance of scouting your site in advance and getting there early to seize the golden hour light. Composition plays a pivotal role, and Iversen discusses a variety of essential compositional elements to ensure your photographs are distinctive amid the plethora of sunrise and sunset shots.
Iversen further addresses the challenges posed by dynamic range in photographing these vistas. He explains how to utilize the histogram on your camera to assess whether you can capture the scene in one shot, or if it will require taking multiple shots with varying exposures for blending in post-production.
In the concluding part of the video, Iversen offers a broad perspective on basic post-processing to enliven your photograph. He provides guidance on simple edits to a single image as well as combining several images for a well-balanced exposure, sharing various tips for your editing workflow to finalize the process.
Despite the popularity of sunrises and sunsets among landscape photographers, this video serves as a valuable reminder for achieving success from beginning to end. A key takeaway for me was the emphasis on maintaining a robust composition rather than solely depending on soft lighting and vibrant clouds.