Do I need an ND filter for a sunrise time-lapse with the sun in frame?
Asked 5/3/2012
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I’m planning a sunrise time-lapse from about 3:00 a.m. through 8:30 a.m., with the sun visible in the frame. I’m wondering whether I should use a neutral density (ND) filter for this kind of shot. I’ve never used one before, but I could borrow one if needed. Is a standard ND filter useful here, or would a graduated ND be more appropriate?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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I'd guess you'd need a GND or partial ND, else the sky would be seriously overexposed. Put the ND over the sky, expose to have the total of the exposures cause the ground to be correctly lit, should help keep the sky look reasonably normal. Or just compose the final image in Photoshop using the ground from one and adding sun positions from all the others.
One or the other is what I'd try (likely using several cameras to take both sequences together, and with different ND gradations, especially if I can't reliably come back to reshoot the sequence on other days).
Originally by user4000. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4000
14y ago
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A standard ND filter usually isn’t necessary for a sunrise time-lapse like this. Its main use is to reduce overall light so you can use longer shutter speeds in bright conditions, and that’s typically not what you need for a full-scene sunrise sequence.
The bigger issue is dynamic range: the sky and sun can be much brighter than the foreground. For that, a graduated ND filter can help by darkening the sky while leaving the ground less affected.
If the foreground isn’t important, you can simply expose for the sky and shoot without a filter. If you want both foreground and sky to look balanced, a graduated ND is more useful than a full ND.
As for safety, shooting the sunrise with a wide-angle lens is generally fine. Direct sun with a telephoto lens is much riskier and may require strong filtration to protect your camera and especially your eyes if using an optical viewfinder.
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