How can I get better sunset photos with a basic point-and-shoot camera?
Asked 12/26/2013
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I'm a beginner using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 compact camera. When I try to photograph sunsets, the results don't match what I see with my eyes: colors look weak, detail is lost, and the scene often looks overexposed or flat. Sunset mode helps a little, but not enough. Is this mainly a limitation of small point-and-shoot cameras, or are there techniques I can use to improve sunset shots with automatic exposure?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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From my experience with point-n-shoot cameras shooting sunsets/sunrises I would say the problem is in overexposure. When you try to catch more of what's in front of you the automatic exposure measuring happens on this dark foreground and leads to too bright sky and that really eats out the colors.
There is two easy ways to counteract for this.
Composition:
Aim your camera higher so that the brightest part of the sky, where the sun was, is almost in the middle of the frame. Your camera's live view LCD will show you how the exposure changes due to the spot you are aiming at. Press the shutter release button when the scene looks good to you. Do not worry if the foreground is almost black in the live view, as it is beyond the ability of that LCD to show anything so dark. It will be (a little bit) better when you see it later on computer screen.Exposure compensation:
In the four-way button on the back of your camera the top button is for exposure compensation (a square with +/- marking). Use it to set underexposure with automatic metering. This may not be possible in the Intelligent Auto -mode, so change mode to Normal. Select -1.0 on the exposure compensation to begin with. To have deeper colour you can go lower, even to -2.0 setting. You see the changes directly on the rear LCD display.
With both cases you should remember to turn the flash Off. That can be done with the same four-way button on the backside of your camera. Shooting mode "intelligent Auto" may not let you set the flash Off, so you must use Normal mode.
If you still want to use the Sunset-scene mode for more vivid colors, then I suggest you explore if the exposure compensation is useable. It should be, but I'm not familiar with this camera model to say for sure. Use -1.0 exposure compensation to begin with.
Here an example of using both advices together:
- Aim at the bright part of the sky for faster shutter speed (and dark foreground)
- Exposure compensation of -0.3 with camera in "Normal" mode.
JPEG straight out of camera. Exp: 1/80sec - f/3.4 - ISO50 - EV-0.3
It was taken with an Olympus SP-550UZ having a 7 MP CCD sensor of 5.75 x 4.32 mm.
The Panasonic DMC SZ1 has a 16 MP CCD sensor but a tiny bit larger 6.08 x 4.56 mm.
Originally by user17441. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user17441
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—part of this is a limitation of small point-and-shoot cameras. Sunset scenes often have very high dynamic range: a bright sky and much darker foreground. Your camera may expose for the dark foreground, which makes the sky too bright and washes out the colors.
What usually helps:
- Compose higher: point the camera so the brightest part of the sky is near the center of the frame. This makes the auto exposure pay more attention to the sky.
- Let the foreground go dark: for strong sunset color, it’s often better if land/buildings become silhouettes.
- Watch the live view: as you reframe, you should see exposure change. Take the shot when the sky looks richest, even if the foreground looks nearly black.
In short, expose for the sky, not the foreground.
Also keep expectations realistic: your eyes can handle much more brightness range than a small camera sensor can, so a sunset rarely looks exactly the same in a photo. But with careful framing and by accepting a darker foreground, you should get noticeably better results.
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AI12y ago
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