Hello OMers,
On Sept 23 the sun will set directly in the west (does the same
about March 21, too). There's a stretch of four-lane highway a few
miles from home that runs due east-west, and in previous years I've
tried to get a shot of the setting sun as it hits the center line of the
west-bound lane about a mile in the distance. To the eye, it's a great
shot--two rows of red taillights of the cars making a bee-line for this
glowing sphere. But it's a real challenge to capture on film--there's
such a huge difference in exposure. Expose for the scenery and autos,
and the sun is several f-stops overexposed. Expose for the sun, and all
the rest is nearly black.
So do I try a Cokin ND filter, covering just the upper half of the
FOV, and try to bring the sky and sun into something near the exposure
needed for rest of the shot? Can I put an additional ND "spot" filter
just where the sun will be?
I have used a 60-300 Tamron for this, and at about 180mm (IIRC) the
highway and lines of cars are nicely "compressed" and the sun in
impressively large. But the sun's way too bright. Any suggestions?
Interestingly, miss this by a day, and the shot's gone for six
months. The setting sun will be an entire sun diameter to the south on
the 24th (and the same to the north in March), and it will set on the
shoulder, not the centerline, of the highway. Check it out.
Many thanks for any advice,
Dean
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