As the sun nears the horizon – either at sunset or at sunrise – the light begins to dramatically transform the landscape. To capture this kind of light requires a specialized workflow to overcome the limitations of your camera. That is what this eBook is for – how to successfully translate what your eyes see during one of the most challenging times of day to photograph.
The Golden Hours – Photographing the Light of Sunrises & Sunsets
The golden hours typically refer to that window of time when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, just before it sets or right after it rises. Photographing the golden hours is much more than capturing a specific time of day however – it also includes the emotional response to the visual quality of a scene. This light has the ability to transform your surroundings, but the specific kind of light that the golden hour provides is responsible for evoking a wide array of emotions – more than what can be expressed in words. It has the power to connect everyone to nature, and is a source of great inspiration that many landscape photographers treasure.
When the sun is near the horizon line and provides you with that sharp angle of light, it not only produces strong shadows and highlights, but increases the texture of an image as well. There are many challenges that present themselves during this window. The sunrise and sunset times are calculated by when the sun reaches the horizon line at sea level – it does not necessarily mean that is the precise time the golden hours will begin or end. The topography of your location plays a large role in determining what your window of opportunity is, and a landscape that has any substantial variation can alter this window greatly.
This eBook explains the entire process of photographing the golden hours – from choosing a location and camera techniques, to the post processing workflow in your digital darkroom. From start to finish, this comprehensive eBook will guide you step-by-step by detailing several workflows used to capture the golden hours.
Topics Covered (179 Pages):
- Choosing a Location
- Terrain can Change your Light
- The Photographer’s Ephemeris
- Below the Horizon
- Acclimation to the Landscape
- Location Scouting
- Finding Interest
- Directing the Flow
- Finding Balance
- Controlling Light
- Overcoming Exposure Difficulties
- Blending Exposures
- GND Filters
- GND Filters vs. Exposure Blending
- Combining Both Workflows
- The Tripod
- Proper Focus
- Creativity with Aperture
- Sunstars
- Shallow Depths (bokeh)
- Selecting a Point of Focus
- Alternate Perspectives
- Low Vantage Points
- Front Lighting
- Focal Lengths
- Looking Beyond the Sun
- Blue Hours
To help illustrate the instructions given in this extensive guide, the author has also included detailed explanations to 29 of his most popular golden hour images, with each photograph paired with a wealth of information of how he approached each scene. Christopher discusses many aspects of his creative process and has grouped his images by similar key learning points – a common trait that they exhibit – allowing him to highlight certain factors that led to their development. Some topics include how to enhance sky texture, creating sunstars, and the importance of applying photography principles in your composition (such as perspective and symmetry).
Included: Exposure Blending eCourse
Also included with this eBook is an additional eCourse on exposure blending – the popular processing technique that many photographers use to create their golden hour images in the digital darkroom. By using a combination of written instructions and step-by-step video tutorials, this comprehensive eCourse will teach you how to achieve a seamless blend of exposures so you can fully enjoy your photography by overcoming the limitations of your camera.
Included: Exposure Blending eCourse
100+ Page eBook: This extensive guide provides in-depth instruction on every aspect of exposure blending, from the in-the-field autobracketing workflow with your camera to the final touches in Photoshop. The eBook also takes detours to explain important concepts that contribute to a better blending experience, such as the importance of RAW format and how to create your own luminosity masks.
8 Video Tutorials: Photoshop processing workflows can be quite difficult to grasp by simple screenshots, so this eCourse includes 8 video tutorials that walk you through the entire blending process. The videos explain every step to blending brackets of three different scenes together, and also addresses how to avoid and reverse common nuisances of blending, such as sensor bloom, ghosting, and halos.
7 Image Files: To accompany the eBook and video tutorials, you’ll also receive all of the image files used so you can process along with the eCourse for an easier flow of learning.
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I can’t find the discount code to be used for buying thus ebook.
The code is PICTURECORRECT
For the launch of this new version, we were able to arrange 50% off until the end of the month. Simply remember to use the discount code PICTURECORRECT at checkout.