52 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
THE MISSION
Take top landscape
shots at sunsetTime needed
Two hoursSkill level
IntermediateKit needed- Tripod
- Filters (optional)
- Standard or
telephoto zoom
lens
Capture little
pockets of sunsets
Find out how to capture stunning shots of sunsets with Peter Travers
as he he ads to the iconic Clevedon pier in Somerset at sun down...01 ZOOM LENSES
While a wide-angle lens, such as the EF
16-35mm f/2.8, is great for big scenes, I
used the EF 24-105mm f/4 mid-range lens
as it’s ideal for zooming in on the most
colourful parts of the sunset, such as the
sky and end of the pier for our final shot.
02 TRIPOD FOR SHARP SHOTS
Always take your tripod with you so
you can use slower shutter speeds and
compose more accurately when using Live
View. Also use your camera’s spirit level in
Live View to ensure the camera is perfectly
level to avoid wonky horizons.03 MANUAL MODE
Use Manual exposure mode to set your
aperture and shutter speed. On a full-
frame camera I usually shoot around f/16,
but on crop-sensor Canons, like a 7D Mk II,
around f/13 is a better bet. Then set ISO
100 for noise-free images.STEP BY STEP GET SET UP FOR SUNSET SHOTS
Learn how to use the right Canon lenses and camera settings for the best results
here are some key
techniques and tricks
to capturing successful
sunset photos with your
Canon kit. First choose the right
lens for sunsets. For landscapes I
use three main Canon L-series
lenses to cover most focal lengths,
and while the EF 16-35mm f/2.8
is great for wide-open scenes, the
EF 24-105mm f/4 mid-range lens
is ideal for zooming in on the most
colourful parts of the sunset, such
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shot. I also carry the Canon EF
100-400mm for really faraway
elements in scenes.
Shoot in Raw for the best image
quality and control over your
editing in Photoshop or Lightroom
afterwards. As digital editing
software and my technique hasdeveloped, I don’t use ND grad
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exposures in Photoshop (see more
on page 30). That being said ND
grads are still very useful to help
capture bright sunset skies for
more balanced exposures with
the darker pier in our shot.
For landscapes, generally
speaking, you want as great a
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the softening effect of diffraction.
This means shooting at the
optimal apertures of around f/16
or f/11, depending on your lenses
and whether you’re using a
crop-sensor or full-frame
Canon camera.
Here’s a key point for you:
When shooting in Manual mode,
as you’re setting your shutter
speed for a good exposure,remember to expose for the
brighter areas of the sky and
sunset. This is because you
can always boost a slightly
underexposed image and
reveal detail. However, if you
overexpose, there’s no detail
to pull back in the skies, even
when shooting in Raw.T
PROJECT 2
VIDEO ALSO ONLINE
http://bit.ly/pp_154_2WIDE-ANGLE^ LENS^