HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH THE SUN: FIRST STEPS, TIPS AND TRICKS

On second thought, it seems that we pay much more attention to the moon than to the sun. I think of legends and most speak of the moon, in songs and many more come to mind that mention the moon than the sun, in movies the moon is also more protagonist ... Our satellite, despite being a "unbelievable" , "Liar" and sometimes "treacherous", has a romantic and mysterious component that we love the lunatics. However, our sun deserves special attention because of how important it is for us, without it, there would be no life on Earth. Also, who has said that the sun does not have its romantic point? Think about sunrises and sunsets ... now yes, right? It seems that the sun has more prominence than we thought. Well, as George Harrison wrote in that wonderful song by The Beatles ... "Here comes the sun." And I quote this song because today's article is about how to photograph the star king. Do you want to portray it this round, as seen in the following image? Then join me, throughout this article I will try to give you the keys so you can jump into it.

Sun

If you wanted to photograph the sun very closely with its spots and explosions, something similar to the following image, you would need some telescopes and special filters, but that is to speak of major words, and I doubt that most of you have those « gadgets », since nothing more than the right filters exceed 600 euros… So let's focus on being able to photograph the round sun but from« far » and if you want to see images of the sun, the moon or the planets very close, stop by this page and check out. You can also see with which equipment the photographs are taken.

Solar bumps

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Telephoto lens: if you want to photograph the sun of a considerable size, that is, beyond a few millimeters in diameter, you need a telephoto lens with a focal length of at least 200 mm. Tripod: when working with long focal distances it is important that you avoid camera movement. To do this use a tripod. If you don't have one yet and are thinking about buying it, it might help to know what the tripod your reflex camera would like to have . Self-timer: for the same reason I just told you, you should avoid any minimal camera movement, so it is better to use the self-timer. In this way you will avoid trepidations by pressing the shutter button.

STEPS

1. Planning. Find information about the time at which the sun rises and sets to know the exact moment when you can take your pictures. You must be a good time before placing the tripod, adjust the camera parameters and study the best composition. There are some tools that will help you in this task.

The "calculator" : tells you what time the sun rises and sets in your city. It also offers moon information.
The Photographer's Ephemeris : draw a line from sunrise to sunset, so you will know exactly where you should be to photograph the sun.
Photopills : is an application that offers you all the information you need about schedules, position or trajectory of the sun. It offers many more options, the drawback is that it is not free but for the modest price of 9 euros it even tells you on what date you can photograph the star king right in the place you want.

2. Light measurement. Take a light measurement and underexpose one step. If you do not control these terms very well, do not worry, Iaio explains it beautifully in this detailed guide. 3. Depth of field. The depth of field is the number "f" of your camera. Select a high or medium depth of field, unless you want to include a nearby object or building, in that case the number "f" must be low. If you mess with these terms, here is an explanatory chart . This image is made with a depth f / 18.

Use a high depth of field.

4. Shutter speed. When using a high depth of field, or what is the same a small aperture, the amount of light that will enter will be small, for that reason you should use a speed as slow as possible (hence the importance of the tripod). I recommend that you make several exhibitions with the slowest speeds and select the one that offers you a better result. 5. ISO. It is best to adjust the ISO of your camera as low as possible, to 100 or 200. 6. Flash Please deactivate it! 7. White balance. Adjust the white balance of your camera in day or sunny mode. If this term scares you, you need to read this article. 8. Equipment Once the adjustments have been made, choose the right place and deploy your device. Mount the tripod (correctly) and place your camera. 9. Composition Take your time to make a proper composition, so keep these "laws" in mind:

Law of three thirds: consists of dividing the image into three parts with imaginary lines, both vertically and horizontally. In one of the intersection points is where you should place your main object, as they are the points of greatest interest. ( Trick: if you are not very familiar you can activate the grid of your camera).
Law of the horizon: according to the law of the horizon, it should never be in the middle of the image, but in the lower third or the upper third.

Horizon Law

I recommend you read these tips to improve your photographic composition . I must tell you that we are not in favor of always following the rules to the letter, you can transgress them , but it is important to know them before to skip them with a clear intention. You can also add other elements to the composition of your photography: buildings, trees, people. Here is an example:

The importance of a good composition

10. Focus. Most likely, your camera does not focus very well in automatic mode when you want to focus infinity. Well, this is the time to dare with the manual approach .

TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING THE SUN

1. It is very important that you plan well, I have already told you about planning in the first step, but I remind you because it is a fundamental point. It will allow you to make adjustments with ease and study the place for a better composition. And so you don't get a downpour of surprise or the clouds hide the sun when you find all your equipment ready to shoot ... look before the weather information. You will avoid more than one disgust . 2. Be very careful to be photographing the sun for a long time, it is not highly recommended because it can damage your eyesight . You can use filters, but the problem is that they usually cause reflections and flashes. For a long time these were considered a major failure, now they have become fashionable and there are many photographers who intentionally look for them. You decide whether or not you want them in your image .

Reflexes

3. Be it at sunrise or sunset, one of the routes (round trip) will be done at night. At the risk of appearing paranoid, I must tell you to be very careful where you decide to go, since photography equipment is very sweet for "friends of the outsider." A little prudence never hurts. 4. Although there is only one sun, there are many photographers. Try that your image is not the same as everyone else's, try to leave your essence impregnated in some way, be original and get your capture to have something different from the others. This is not going to be taught by anyone, neither with adjustment advice, nor with composition, or using a more or less expensive camera, that is something that only you can achieve, with the sensitivity and artistic eye you have. Do not forget that a great photo is not taken by the camera, but by the person who shoots. 5. Be patient. You may not go to the first, or the second ... it is more, most likely you have to shoot a few times to get the desired result. Don't despair, the beauty of photography is making mistakes and overcoming those obstacles. That way the fruits will give you even more satisfaction.

TRICKS TO APPLY IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SUN

The closer you photograph the sun from the bigger horizon. This seems to be due to the fact that there are other reference elements that make the sun look bigger (it is not known for sure if it is for this optical effect or if it is for another reason, although in fact we care about the effect and not the reason ).

Near the horizon

I must confess that it has not occurred to me to try it, but I read in a photo book that to avoid damaging your eyes and achieve a photograph with a “big” sun, you can paint a matte black tray, cover it with a layer of water and put it where the sun is reflected. Instead of shooting the sun in the sky, you shoot the reflected sun. Do you dare to try? If you do not have a self-timer, set the timer on your camera. And if you still don't know, I take this opportunity to remind you that there are other ways to shoot a photo that may be useful for you this time.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE: PRACTICE

For many tips that we give you, for many steps that we indicate so that you follow, if you do not take them, if you do not practice you will not achieve what you propose. You learn by experimenting, making mistakes again and again. If you don't get the result, readjust the parameters and go testing until you get what you want. It is not easy, but it is not such a difficult task that you cannot achieve. You have already seen that you do not need an extraordinary team to get a big round sun, so I encourage you to go out as soon as possible to the "hunt" of the star king. And also to share this post so that others can also launch to capture the sun. Thank you and see you soon!

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