A Boring Sunset

By Instructor: Chris Hurtt

Recently I was spending some time on the Oregon Coast with my family. As sunset approached, I walked out with camera in hand and was a little disappointed! Is there such a thing as a boring sunset? Sure. Every sunset is beautiful in its own way, and here in Oregon we have to celebrate any time the clouds part, but the sky was empty this day and I didn’t have any of the dramatic sea stacks that many Oregon beaches have.

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I then decided to play with a longer shutter speed and go for something a little more abstract. I took my ISO down to 100 and stopped down to f/22 and metered the water away from the area where the sun was reflecting off the water. I found myself at a correct exposure at 1/50 sec there. With the sun still up in the sky, I wasn’t getting what I was looking for.

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So, with the kids playing around me we watched as the sun sunk below the horizon and then the sky started to take on a gorgeous magenta tone. After a few minutes I metered the water at f/22 and found 8 seconds was a correct exposure. Way too long for what I was going for. I opened the aperture to f/8 which put me at a 1 second exposure. Shooting in continuous mode I gently swept the camera back and forth with the 1 second shutter speed. I shot about 12 shots and headed inside to take a look. Here are a few of the results, straight out of camera:

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They were okay, but with motion like this it’s very hit and miss and there were a couple that I liked a lot more:

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I liked the lines in the water in the shots above and also liked the way the horizon blended into the sky. I took it into photoshop and added in a little contrast and saturation:

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Creative use of shutter speed is something that we spend a lot of time on in our Understanding Exposure course. Come join us in the class that starts this Friday!

By Instructor: Chris Hurtt

Chris Teaches:

Understanding Exposure

The Art of Seeing

Mastering Nikon Flash Photography

“I just wanted to thank you for another wonderful class. I have to confess that each week when I read the new assignment, my first reaction was mild panic and a deep certainty that I would not be able to produce anything worthwhile that fit within the parameters you had set. But before I knew it, the ideas started to flow, and I quickly became obsessed (no, that isn’t too strong a word!) with exploring the possibilities. I can honestly say that the photos I produced in response to your assignments are among my favorites. Thanks for bringing out a creative side I didn’t know I had!”

Barbara Geiger
Understanding Color

“Thank you so very much for this course! It’s allowed me to take the blinders off and present my images for what I want them to be without being a slave to the “reality” of the camera. I would also add that in conjunction with your printing course, this has been the most useful course I’ve ever taken. Your notes are more than comprehensive and your comments and critiques are direct, clear, and always directed to the improvement of the art.”

Bill
After the click

” I want to thank you for this class and for your patience and availability to answer all of my questions. I have learned very much through this class. I have used LR in the past, but mostly for editing images. I now have a better grasp in the organization of my images, an even better understanding of editing images, and an understanding of the value of presets. I still have a lot to learn, but this has put me on the road to be able to improve my photography. Again, thank you! ”

Dale Yates
Lightroom Quickstart

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