Question about photographing a sunrise (or sunset)?

[Carol]

Sometime soon, I am going to try my first night hike. My plan is to hike up the auto road of one of the mountains during the overnight hours so I can be up at the summit for the sunrise.

What should I keep in mind for camera settings, given the low/changing light?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Sometime soon, I am going to try my first night hike. My plan is to hike up the auto road of one of the mountains during the overnight hours so I can be up at the summit for the sunrise.

What should I keep in mind for camera settings, given the low/changing light?

Tripod, warm clothes. Remote shutter release is always nice. Shoot RAW for sure. Keep batteries warm, but remember to let the camera be at the outside temp for some time before you shoot to avoid condensation. I'd say consider a 'sunset filter' but these days you can do that in photoshop probably better. Bracket your exposure - meters are often fooled by high contrast scenes. Consider composition - sunrises can be boring events if there are not sufficient clouds, etc. They can be livened up by including foreground objects, you can even use flash for the foreground without spoiling your background.

 

[Carol]

Thank you so much Bill! :asian:

To continue on the idea of temperature, is it mainly battery life (lower temperature is proportional to shorter life) and condensation that are the concerns?

I'm asking because I'm thinking ahead to the winter, and what kind of shots I can get when outside hiking or even snowshoeing.

Another question...I have never shopped for a tripod, but for the kind of shots I'm taking I'll need something lightweight and collapsible so it can fit in my backpack without issue. I'd like to pick this up locally instead of buying on line (if possible). Do you think I could find this at a mass-market store such as Target or Best Buy? Or should I look to a photography specialty shop?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Thank you so much Bill! :asian:

To continue on the idea of temperature, is it mainly battery life (lower temperature is proportional to shorter life) and condensation that are the concerns?

I'm asking because I'm thinking ahead to the winter, and what kind of shots I can get when outside hiking or even snowshoeing.

Condensation on the camera and lens are normally a problem when you come in from the cold, like when your glasses (if you wear them) fog over when you come inside. However, I have noticed fog in my viewfinder when I have a camera inside my jacket on a cold day and take it out to take some photos - it usually clears quickly. Cold batteries, however, lose power quickly. I keep my spares in an inside pocket.

Another question...I have never shopped for a tripod, but for the kind of shots I'm taking I'll need something lightweight and collapsible so it can fit in my backpack without issue. I'd like to pick this up locally instead of buying on line (if possible). Do you think I could find this at a mass-market store such as Target or Best Buy? Or should I look to a photography specialty shop?

Depends on the camera in question. It's mostly a function of weight of the camera and stability / height versus easy carrying weight and convenience. I use a 'professional' level tripod and head because I sometimes shoot medium format cameras that weigh a lot, and because typical consumer-grade tripods are often not tall enough for me to use without bending over. In general, beware of tripods that get tall by extending the center column instead of having long legs. It's like putting your camera on top a ladder, and then raising it up on a drinking straw. Not really stable.

I have seen some pretty nice consumer grade tripods, though. I wasn't displeased by some of the ones made by Slik. I avoid tripods with a metal bar tying the three legs together at the bottom. Common with video camera tripods, they prevent you from spreading the legs apart at different angles and different lengths to deal with uneven terrain. Quick-release heads are nice, but not required. They make it simple to take the camera off the tripod when you want to move on quickly.

I also tend to keep the camera strap around my neck even when the camera is on a tripod, though. Tripods are camera-killers. They fall over in gusts of winds (which only appear when the camera is on a tripod, God or the Imp of the Perverse hates tripods apparently). And when you bend over to unscrew them from the tripod, they fall off unexpectedly. I've been rewarded several times by a painful yet reassuring thump on the chest when the camera let go without warning from the tripod head.

Anyway, for a tripod, most consider the overall stability and the length of the legs. Most consumer level tripods are just too short, I've found. Look for the longest one you can find with nice stable legs.

Don't discount checking out a local camera store. Tripods are more expensive there, true; but they often have sales and last-year's models, sometimes used ones.

For some, a monopod is a good substitute for a tripod, but not for long exposures such as a sunrise/sunset. They can be useful in places like zoos and museums and other public places where tripods are forbidden, but monopods are allowed. I have both. But I do a lot of 'action' photography in daylight, so seldom need either.

If your camera has anti-shake, don't forget to turn it off when using a tripod. It will work too hard trying to stabilize the planet!

If you decide to shop online, my favorite camera stores are Adorama and B&H. Decent, honest, kind. Stay away from the low-price Brooklyn stores, they are all crooks, I mean the real kind who take your money and cheat you. www.resellerratings.com is your friend.

http://www.adorama.com/
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Note that B&H is owned and run by observant Hassidic Jews - so they are closed on Saturdays, even online. You can look but not buy today. They're great people, totally honest and dependable and they have a nice used section. If you ever get to Manhattan, their store is an amazing must-see place. Everybody in Hassidic garb, store merchandise transported around the store by overhead baskets on a trolley system. Weird and cool!

I've got to run - I have a Veterans Day parade to shoot. Good luck!