Images: Tips for Shooting Sunbursts
Daniel BotelhoTo achieve this "eclipse sunburst," it was important to balance the amount of light from the sun and the sky with the light thrown by my strobes onto the many ray's belly. Also important in this composition was shooting between breaths so that fewer bubbles were seen.
Daniel BotelhoDiving skills are crucial to achieving sunbursts with marine life as the subject. You need to be below the subject, so you must remain calm, move slowly, and have good buoyancy so as not to scare it off.
Daniel BotelhoMy first step at this Bahamas site was to make sure ambient light and environment were properly exposed, creating a perfect balance between the sun and the surroundings. Once I established the camera's settings, it was time to work on the strobes. I was concerned with two things in particular: The first being the fill light needed to appear as natural as possible with the environmental light. My second was not overexposing the shark, so I dropped down one f-stop. Once the light was controlled, I was free to work on the composition. I found a natural sand valley on this dive site and waited there. There were a number of sharks in the area, so it was only a mater of time before a shark came around, allowing me to shoot that perfect shot. --DB Camera: Nikon D4 housing with dome port Lens: 16mm Nikkor Strobes: Sea & Sea YS-250 Pro Settings: 1/200 @f/9, ISO 320, white balance 6,250K
Courtesy Daniel BotelhoDaniel is a National Geographic Society photographer. His work has been shown on CNN, ABC and CBS. He serves as more than just a photographer, leading guided expeditions for the BBC, Globo, National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel, making him one of the most requested underwater photographers in the world.
The sunburst is one of the most iconic compositions for an underwater photographer and, along with split shots, are some of my favorite images to make. They’re not easy, though: To get a great sunburst (or even a good one), you’ll need the right camera settings, and proper alignment of the photographer, the subject and the sun.
To achieve a sunburst, you must aim the camera at the sun, and then adjust your camera’s settings for the amount of light your camera is taking in. The settings can vary, and depend on the sun’s height, the water clarity, surface conditions and how deep you are. A good place to start is with an aperture of f/_8 to f/_12, and never less than 1/200 shutter speed, adjusting the ISO as you go along. Once you have achieved the exposure, you need to decide if you want the subject of your sunburst photo to be backlit or illuminated. Sometimes a silhouetted subject can make a beautiful image.
If you are shooting wide-angle, it is hard to properly expose the underwater environment without the sunburst blowing out and losing detail. If you choose to light your subject, then you have the added challenge of having to adjust your strobes as well. Typically, when shooting into the sun, your strobes will be full power because your camera settings are adjusted to hold detail in the bright light of the sunburst. Otherwise the subject will be underexposed.__
After your camera’s settings and strobes are set, you need to create the proper positioning of the subject and sun. You have several ways to achieve this. One is to have the subject — an animal or a diver model — partially backlit by the sun.
Another is to achieve what I like to call a “full eclipse,” when the animal perfectly covers the sun. When your strobes are set to full power, it takes longer for them to recycle; because the strobes can’t fire back to back, you have only one chance for everything to align perfectly. Even when you’re not shooting an “eclipse,” it can be very beautiful to have the subject filled with your strobes as the background cascades light from the sun.
>Beginner Tips
Practice with a Model
If you’re just starting out with sunbursts, practice with a dive buddy or a model, and keep practicing until you can master the right camera settings for a given amount of sun. The better you get, the sooner you can branch out by finding a good subject (reef scene or animal) to “play” with.
>Intermediate Tips
The Right Approach
Once you’ve learned to control the amount of light for a sunburst, you can start focusing on the interaction. For most sea creatures, the belly is the most vulnerable part of their body; in order to get the perfect alignment with the sun, you need to practice approaching the animal at the right angle, learning not to spook it.
>Advanced Tips
Being Ready
As with all types of photography, the more you practice, the faster you will become at achieving the desired results. Instead of spending an entire dive preparing for a single shot, you’ll get to where you can quickly make the necessary setting adjustments as sunburst opportunities present themselves.
**>Modeling 101 **
Skills Competition
Diving skills are crucial to achieving sunbursts with marine life as the subject. You need to be below the subject, so you must remain calm, move slowly, and have good buoyancy so as not to scare it off.
Light Balance
The sun is the most important element in a sunburst. Before trying your hand with models or animals, make sure your settings allow the proper amount of light into the image without blowing it out.
Blind Review
Because you're looking directly into the sun, you can't trust auto metering to give you proper exposure, nor your eyes to tell if the exposure is correct when reviewing on the screen. Practice makes perfect!
Tech Specs
It is very important to frame the sun just right, taking care to avoid sun flares, as some lenses and domes might create this effect. A shaded dome helps in this regard.
_Daniel Botelho is a National Geographic Society photographer. His work has been shown on CNN, ABC and CBS. He serves as more than just a photographer, leading guided expeditions for the BBC, Globo, National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel, making him one of the most requested underwater photographers in the world. Visit danielbotelho.com to see more images. _
