Sun Gate

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted February 23, 2012134 views6 comments

Taken from Grizzly Peak in the Oakland Hills on Feb. 20, 2012 . I've recently just started experimenting with shooting direct images of the sun and would love to learn some more tips on how to photograph this beautiful, radiant star.

Canon 5D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens (with EF 2x III Extender)
1/13 sec at f/22, ISO 50, Manual Mode, Manual White Balance 3950K

Feedback and critiques are appreciated.

Cheers!
~Greg

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Walt Sterneman on February 23, 2012 at 7:26 AM

Very pretty image Greg. I have to wonder where all the color comes from with the sun still that high in the clouds though. Just does not look natural to these mid-western eyes.

Registered on March 24, 2010, 73 Posts, 1268 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Reed on February 23, 2012 at 1:23 PM

Nice Oranges.....detail looks good.

Registered on September 19, 2009, 198 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Turner on February 26, 2012 at 8:05 PM

Nice composition but a bit too over saturation added for my taste.
Keep on Shooting

Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on February 28, 2012 at 5:03 PM

This is gorgeous! No nits.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Greg Linhares on February 29, 2012 at 12:08 AM

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Just wanted to add that the colors in this image were pulled directly out of the original digital negative in Lightroom by simply increasing the vibrancy by 25% and saturation by only 5%. I think that part of the reason why there's so much color density in this image is because the air over the Pacific (on really warm days), is filled with a lot of water vapor which catches photons from the sun and scatters them throughout the atmosphere. There is no artificial coloring whatsoever. Only a delicate adjustment of vibrance, saturation, curves, and white balance! ;-)

Registered on June 1, 2011, 10 Posts, 15 Comments

Comment posted by Sam Rua on March 20, 2012 at 12:37 AM

Nice capture, Greg. The only nit I have is the purple/blue/magenta hues on the water. I am ok with the increased vibrancy everywhere else. As far as catching the Sun in your shots I would recommend a gradient filter. You can try different colors for creativity or go with a ND gradient.

Registered on September 9, 2006, 130 Posts, 2281 Comments