Sunset picture, Lake Erie, PA (need help with colors)

[Ann Marie TN]

Hi everyone,

We went over to watch the sunset last night but I couldn't get the sun to come out the fiery pink that it was...it kept coming out a bright yellow. I played with the settings and still couldn't get it, was actually getting the clouds a deeper color (not true color). Remember I am a newbie with all the settings - Aperture, Shutter, etc. I have a Fujifilm SL1000. If anyone has input on how I can get the true colors, that would be AWESOME! And I did try the setting for "sunset" and it made it such a deep color, wasn't impressed with it.

Thank you!
Ann

[Chri5]

I can tell you that that is a very good effort for some one who is new to photography.

First of all I recommend you stop using auto modes like sunset or landscape. If you are serious about photography which you seem to be, you should start to look at the more advanced modes like AV or TV. I recommend that you start with AV (aperture priority)because AV mode is a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific aperture value while the camera selects a shutter speed to match, thereby ensuring proper exposure. It means you have more control over your shot while still having some automatic function while you learn.

Read up on ISO. It took me some time to start to figure out what changing the ISO can do to my image in terms of quality. It took me even longer to actually understand what was happening in my camera. I still haven't fully figured it out. Try this link for a better explanation. https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography

I also recommend you learn about the rule of thirds which will help you compose your shots and arrange the various aspects in your view. Someone on here with a little more technical knowledge will be able to explain all this in better detail than I have.

Most importantly... Have fun with your camera and dont be afraid of playing with the settings.

[Ann Marie TN]

Thank you Chris! The booklet that comes with the camera doesn't really explain what all the settings are for. You are right, though, need to go out and try all the settings and get use to them. I've read about the "rule of thirds," need to go back and reread again.

[Shadowman]

If you shoot RAW format you can modify the colors during post processing. Not talking about drastic changes, just choosing a specific white balance.

[Shadowman]

Ann Marie,

I posted an example in another thread so I wouldn't hijack yours.
Other Side of the Lake (Erie)

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Ann,

The other information provided above is valid, if I may, I'll add one more thing ...

One of the first rules* of composition is to ensure the horizon is level when taking the picture - and if you don't, then correct it in post processing. Obviously the easiest is to pay more attention when capturing the image and straighten the camera just before you press the shutter button fully - however, we all get it wrong from time to time.

I appreciate you're new and from examination of the EXIF data, all you seem to have used (as Post Processing software) is Windows Photo Viewer, so now may be a good time to move on to something a little better that allows easy correction of wonky shots.

* That said, all those 'rules' can be broken - when you know it is the right time to ignore them.

As Chris said though - have fun, don't be overwhelmed by how much there is to learn, just tackle one thing at a time and when that's become second nature, move on to the next.

For sunsets; one of the fixed White Balance settings like "Fine" or "Shade" (to use Fuji's nomenclature) would be best to use.

Good luck, Dave

[Manfred M]

Hi Ann Marie - Let me try to hit a point that others have not covered (and you have gotten some excellent advice from some very good photographers).

The one thing that seems to surprise a lot of people is that cameras do not see the way that our eyes (with a bit of image processing by our brains) see. Our eye / brain system has evolved in such a way that to a large extent that we do not notice changes in the colour temperature of our light sources. We measure colour temperature in Kelvins (K) and this is based on a theoretical construct known as a black body. At extremely low temperatures (Absolute Zero) a black body emits no light, and as you heat it up it starts to glow, and the temperature associated with the light emitted is what we are dealing with when we try to get the colours looking correct in a photograph.

Things look normal to us when we sit in a candle lit room or one with a roaring fireplace (very low colour temperature) or the north light on a bright and snowy day (high colour temperature).

Our camera records what it does and effectively can only compensate for a single colour temperature, so when there are multiple colour temperature light sources in one image, the camera can't deal with it and we get "funky" colours in the images that we take. This is referred to as "mixed lighting". When photographing a sunrise or sun set, part of the light that illuminates the scene comes from the sun coming through the atmosphere near the horizon, and the colour of that light tends toward the red. At the same time, the light is scattered and reflected by dust, water vapour and nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the atmosphere, so when you look up at sunset on a clear day, the colour of the sky is blue, and this reflects down on our subjects.

This all means we get some strange looking colours at those times of the day. Photographers refer to these times as "golden hour" or "magic hour", even though the period where this occurs can be more or less than an hour. The light is very diffuse and soft, and shadows tend to be long and soft as well. These are the times of day that landscape photographers love due to the quality and directionality of the light.

So this image is quite normal for the time of day you took it and the camera settings you used. Enjoy the light and concentrate on your artistic (compositional) skills (straight horizons, nothing unwanted protruding into the edges of your shot) and your technical skills (correct exposure and a sharp, focused image). The rest will come as you become more experienced and competent.

[rpcrowe]

Keep shooting and experimenting. All of the above advice is very valid and is aimed at helping you get images that YOU are happy with!

Welcome to CiC....