Oh, the setting sun. It’s a subject that all of us never get tired of, both professional photographers and aspiring ones. How many times have you seen a house for sale enamored by the retiring rays of the sun put up first on the listing photos? With Alaska’s great offerings of nature sights, we have seen hundreds upon hundreds of these in real estate marketing materials used by agents.
Witnessing the sun go down into the mountains is quite an experience. But sometimes, the photographs don’t measure up to it. Especially during the winter seasons.
For one, sunsets can really have high contrasts. Put the sun in the background of darker hues, it will still show up very bright in the photograph. Imagine this effect when you’re shooting a house, there is a possibility that the sun will cast a shadow on the main feature, which is the property itself, and steal the show, and subsequently, ruin the photograph.
Most cameras may not be able to capture the range of contrasts during sunsets, their meter measures may calculate the exposure for the dominant subject, which is either the sky or the foreground, imperfectly. There must be a balance between the exposure for both, to avoid exposing either the sky or the foreground and give their textures and colors justice in the photograph. Sure, you can re-work the balance in the dynamic range in post-production, but the key to capturing amazing sunsets is a good grasp of how the camera’s built-in meter works and its limitations.
Capturing A Simple Sunset
Set the camera to Aperture Priority (A or AV) mode. Compose the scene so there is more sky than the foreground. This will get the light meter to bring down exposure so the sky will keep detail and color. If this doesn’t work, use the EV (exposure value compensation) control to dial down exposure as much as necessary. Also, pay attention to shutter speed. If it falls below the lens’s focal length, adjust aperture and/or ISO to bring it back up for hand holding the camera – or use a tripod.
The composition of the shot must have equal importance to the foreground and the sky. To do this, you must set the camera to AV mode, or Aperture Priority. This brings down the exposure of the light meter and will keep the detail and the colors of the sky. But it may not work all the time. So if it doesn’t, you can try to use EV, or exposure value compensation, to dial down the exposure as much as needed. The shutter speed also factors in. It must not fall below the lens’s focal length. Therefore, adjust the ISO (aperture), which is ideal for hand holding the camera, or just use the tripod.
Silhouette Shots
If you’re looking to brighten the foreground, or the house you’re shooting, you may overexpose the sky. You may use the same settings above, but this time, use the EV control to reduce the exposure to underexpose the foreground. Silhouette shots are ideal when the camera has limited settings and instead create dramatic scenes of homes standing against the fading light of the day.
Getting Help from the Flash
DMD Real Estate Photograph has more where this advice came from, so visit us here more often. We’ve been Alaska’s long trusted photographer when it comes to real estate marketing with an ample mastery of its nature, scenes, and lights. Book an appointment here for your next listing to sell your properties fast and to get more value out of it through amazing photos.