sunset and sunrise photography

[andyt72]

hi all
just wondering if i need a filter or dont need a filter for taking sunrise and sunset pictures and if i do what sort of filter do i need.
i have a canon eos 450d with 18-250mm sigma lens and at present i have either been using just the camera on manual mode and playing about with the shutter speed or i have been doing the same as above and using my ND8 filter.
thankyou

 

[nickjohnwatson]

Ideally you want an nd grad filter. Soft grad if the horizon is hilly. Hard grad if its level

 

[russellsnr]

Hi, Yes NDG filter but do be aware that although you want to get a sunrise with nice red,orange etc clouds this is sometimes better achieved looking to the side of where the sun comes up or even look behind you. Also do remember that the sun can damage your camera sensor and more importantly your eyes so please don't look direct at the sun even through the view finder.

 

[markmullen]

Ideal for sunrises and sunsets is a reverse grad where the darkest section is in the centre of the frame and fading out to light at the top, clear at the bottom.

 

[Russ77]

Never used filters for sunrise/set images to be honest but still managed to get pleasing results by bracketing a few exposure and/or applying a grad filter in PP.

If there's something in the immediate foreground you could use some fill-in flash to lighten it up.

I suppose ultimately it will depend on the scenary and the look you're going for