Sunset Image Tips?

[KiterTodd]

Had the mavic up for the first sunset this evening. It was about 34 degrees out and a beautiful evening to fly.
Was hoping someone would have some tips for capturing the colors a little better?

I had it in auto, with no filter. On prior flights I have been playing around with white balance, but not tonight.

As expected, the sun itself (first picture) got blown out. I'm not sure how I'd improve on that without a filter, as it's a challenge to expose fire and shadows at the same time. However, I do think my other cameras balance a bit better for an auto shooter like myself (GoPros, iPhone, my Nikon dSLR and Point & Shoot).

The 2nd photo was after the sun had set. The colors were pretty bright.
Below I have the original version of that photo and then some minor edits I did in the Apple "Photos" app. While I do use FCPX for video, for stills I have never updated the stock photo application which I'm sure would help a lot.

In any case, I'd be open to any advice on shooting modes or post processing of pictures like these. Feel free to have a crack at them;

Pic 1 - unedited

Pic 2 - unedited

Pic 2 - edited

 

[CC Rider]

Sunsets and sunrises are hard to avoid shooting but difficult to capture.Yours are looking pretty good. Obviously one could do more with them with a little greater in-depth post production, but you're on the right path.

I've recently been having a go at some sunrise shots and am running into problems getting exactly what I'm looking for, too. I have yet to receive my set of ND filters for my Mavic, which I admittedly understand the value of more when used with video, however sometimes with my other drone the Polar Pro filters I use give me strange, unwelcome tinges of color - usually in the orange band - in the periphery of the image. Somedays I see it too often. I can crop out the disaffected portion of the image, but I want to shoot such that it doesn't appear at all. I've never seen that discoloration ever when not using a filter.

A lot of what is ultimately considered to be the "perfect image" truly does depend upon the eye of the beholder, too. For example, I see how you've edited out the lens sunflare found in your unedited version, but I liked that effect as it captured light motion in a still frame shot, suggesting movement to me and making the mage appear more dynamic.But that's just me. Someone else would remove it as you do.

I hope others who understand the relationship between the Mavic, ND filters, and photography better than I do will respond with some valuable information about the process and approaches needed to achieve the best results.I know others would benefit from it, too.

 

[Simmly]

First you need to use ND32 filter that the sun light gets not blown out. Than I shoot in burst mode with 3 in normal and 5 pictures in extreme condition like sunsets. Than I use a HDR Software like Lightroom or Photomatix to mix these pictures together to get incredible Pictures!


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[CC Rider]

Thank you for the quick advice. I REALLY appreciate it. You've given me another path to pursue to capture the elusive perfect picture. Thanks much!

 

[KiterTodd]

Thanks for the tips thus far.

Any manual settings or modes that would help bring out the sunset color?

(without filters, which I don't have yet, and HDR, which I have never been motivated to try. I have seen great HDR results, but I'd like to get the best I can out of the camera and then see where I end up.)

 

[halley]

If you're doing stills, you should shoot raw dng format, use the HDR mode, and/or bracket for exposure. Then blend those images together for different areas.

Personally, a sunset alone is not interesting, especially if the gimbal is aimed exactly at the horizon. Don't just recreate the Arizona state flag. Two choices:

1. Aim down so the horizon is at the top 1/3 of the image, and expose to show off an interesting scene/town/landscape on the ground.

2. Enable the gimbal-up-30 option and aim up so the horizon is at the bottom 1/3 of the image. You should still have worthy details on the ground but this is for those really intense sunsets with spectacular clouds in the shot.

 

[KiterTodd]

Thanks, halley. Yes, I agree. I've watched many folks just point the camera at the sunset and call it a day. It's a much better picture if there is some other contrasting detail in the foreground. But first.... I want to be able to nail those colors! I have not messed with the in-camera HDR mode. To be honest, didn't even know it was there...

 

[mikeroycollins]

Any tips on getting that pesky green dot out of shot in videos?

 

[dsd317]

You don't HAVE to have filters to shoot sunsets or sunrises. I love shooting sunsets/sunrises and don't use any filters at all. The following sunrise was captured in JPEG in auto and all I did was lower the EV using Mavic controller C2 button and Right wheel a few stops to prevent over exposure.

 

[dsd317]

Here's one I took this morning. Straight from SD card:

 

[MavicMikeGA]

The best tip that I can offer is to be in the right place at the right time to get that perfect sunset image. I'm not sure about your location but here in Georgia, not every day is a beautiful sunset so I use this website to help predict the best sunrises and sunsets: SunsetWx, LLC – Innovation Beyond the Horizon

I hope this helps.