TRIPphotography photos & article by rick matthews
Sunsets and Backlighting T
wo of the most rewarding but challenging shots to control are sunsets and backlit subjects. True, anybody can point a camera and capture an orange sky, but understanding how to use the existing light and control your exposure will make the difference between just another sunset and a stunning photograph. Although sunsets and backlit photos look dramatically differ- ent, the exposure techniques are quite similar. By taking control of the camera’s exposure meter, you can make some choices, like whether to have rich dark shadows, or shadows that are more open, showing some detail.
The Golden Hour Controlling Your Sunsets
Before sunset you have this huge burning high- light in the scene—the sun—that you have to elim- inate from the exposure equation. Eliminating the sun from the exposure negates its overwhelming
effect on the meter and gives a true reading of the surrounding sky and clouds.
Set your camera meter on manual so you are able to fully control the exposure. Point your cam- era at a portion of the sky to the right or left of the sun. Do not include any part of the sun in the frame. Using that exposure setting, re-compose your shot, including the sun. By exposing for the
For the dramatic sky over Lake Superior, I was concerned that the intense pinks and reds would look washed out. After taking a meter reading left of the sun, I underexposed by one and two stops. Only after careful analysis did I decide that this minus-one-stop exposure was the right one.
sky and allowing the sun to “blow out” you will gain rich blacks in your shadows and greater detail in your clouds. After sunset, don’t put the camera away. There are still some great shots to be made. Now that there is less light, put the camera on a tripod. Point your camera at the spot where the sun just went down, eliminating the dark areas so that they don’t have too strong an influence on the expo- sure. Take the exposure reading, again using manual metering mode. Once again, you are choosing the part of the sky that you want exposed correctly. Re-compose your shot and keep shooting.
For the plant composition, a simple and quick exposure setting on the blue sky created the warm golden glow on the edges of stem and leaves.
20 Spring 2003
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