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Photography of Sunrise The Light Does the Work | Blog

Jun 30, 2022

How to Take Sunrise Photographs

Find the Sunrise Golden Hour

The majority of people try to capture the scene when sunset is approaching the horizon. But it is possible to capture beautiful images at any point during sunrise "golden hour," which occurs just after sunrise. Photography at sunrise is a great idea because the light is softer than it will be during midday, and the angles of the sun could make interesting shadows that you can use in your composition.

Some photographers also love the sunrise "blue hour"--the 30 minutes before sunrise, or more, for its dark and dramatic hue.

Either way, you can capture sunrise photos anytime of the season, however you'll need be aware of the timing of sunrise over the course of the year. If you're not much of being an early riser, the winter sunrises are usually the last early in the morning. So it might be more convenient for to take pictures!

Pick the right Sunrise Photography Camera Setting

The right settings for ISO, aperture and shutter speed is crucial to take great photos, but there's no one best settings for photography at sunrise. Indeed, the combination of camera settings may make for a fantastic sunrise capture.

It's time to look at the ISO: A low ISO produces a dark image and a high ISO produces a more bright one. There is a temptation to choose a high ISO to capture the brightness and colors of the sunrise however, it could result in a more grainy image. Most professionals recommend the use of a smaller ISO for landscape sunrise photography--as near to 100 as possible.

This means that you'll need to brighten your photo through either a big aperture or slower shutter speed. Which you choose depends on the specifics of your photograph When you're looking to get a sharp still photo then you might need the speed of your shutter to be faster, however, if you're hoping for some blurred movement then you should choose a slower shutter speed. If you're looking to have everything in focus, you may need a narrow aperture (high f-stop)--if you're looking to keep the foreground sharp and a blurred background it's possible to use a smaller aperture (low the f-stop).

Try these settings with your exposure meter in order to get the balance right to capture the soft, early-morning light. Travel photographer Sean Dalton recommends slightly under-exposing for sunrise so that you don't overexposed the sky. The fix can be made later in editing.

If you don't have a DSLR camera, and instead are taking photos with your phone, check out software for taking photos that allows users to alter these settings, or simply alter the brightness in the native camera application.

Use These Tips for Sunrise Photography

Here are a few more easy tips to make your sunrise photos really shine:

  • Go to your destination early and start taking plenty of pictures: The lighting changes rapidly during the morning, so it is important to identify the photos you're aiming for before the sun even comes up. Once you're prepared take your time and snap a lot of pictures, playing with different setting. You could even try some time lapse photography to capture every moment!
  • Utilize a tripod as well as a shutter release: Since you're photographing at night, it's easy to end up with shaky photos. Some equipment helps to keep everything in place.

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Best Sunrise Photography Settings

If you have the proper eye You can capture stunning sunrise images anywhere you go. However, here are some beautiful settings that you could try together with some photographs of sunrise to help you get inspired.

Landscape Sunrise Photography

Ocean Sunrise Photography

Beach Sunrise Photography

Mountain Sunrise Photography

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