If you’re a beginner landscape photographer, we’re pretty sure you’re itching to go out and take some absolutely stunning sunrise photos. For many of us, taking a stunning sunrise photo is a milestone in itself; after all it also represents a new beginning.
But if you feel that your sunrise photos are lacking that punch, then you’re not alone. Most of us have been through that phase at some point of our photography life. In this context, today we have landscape photographer Mike Perea sharing some brilliant tips on how to take better sunrise photos. Let’s check it out:
“Give yourself plenty of time to get to your location.”
The key to a successful sunrise photo is arriving at the location ahead of time. Perea recommends that you reach your location at least an hour before sunrise. This way, you won’t be hurrying to set your gear up and take photos. You’ll need to leave your home way earlier, and prep your camera bag and gear at least the night before.
Like with any landscape image, you cannot just arrive at a location and take epic photos. Having a proper understanding of the locality and the landscapes you’ll be shooting around always helps. This way, you can compose the frame with epic sunrise and the best landscape in the same frame. To scout the location, you can either arrive there at least a day prior, or use tools like Google Earth and PhotoPills. The latter option will save you a lot of time and other resources. Give them a shot!
A fantastic tip that Perea shares in the video is about predicting how colorful the sky will get during sunrise. Did you know that you can do so by looking at the clouds? Many may not know but clouds tell you if you’ll be witnessing a colorful sunrise or not. For instance, a high-altitude Cirrus cloud means that you’ll be witnessing a colorful sunrise. Likewise, low altitude clouds will block the light and result in a dull sky. Perea also suggests that you use apps like Meteoblue with which you can understand what kind of conditions you can expect.
Sunrise photographer captured by Annie Spratt
Towards the end of the video, Perea also talks about the importance of setting the white balance manually, and how you can capture the maximum dynamic range in the scene using a technique called exposure bracketing. Be sure to watch the complete video for a better understanding as the visual reference will make sense much better.
If you’ve been feeling that your sunrise photos could do much better, be sure to try Perea’s tips. You’ll surely notice a great deal of improvement in your sunrise photos after this.
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