By Peter Liu

Camera: Nikon D2X
Exposure: 0.2 sec (1/5)
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 29 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

How I got this shot:

This panorama was created with four exposures on a tripod with a 3-stop ND grad set on the horizon. I used the sun as a reference point and simply panned from left to right. I had to do this quickly, as the sun was moving and I wanted it to occupy the same relative spot in all the frames. I used an ExpoDisc to set the white balance beforehand and locked the focus and exposure.

From Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5, I loaded the four frames directly into Photomerge in Adobe Photoshop CS4 and processed the panorama using the default settings. After flattening the resulting image, I used the Ruler Tool to straighten the horizon (I didn’t have time to make sure everything was level during the shoot) and did the final crop.

Then I saved the image as a TIFF, closed it and reopened it in Camera RAW, so that I could adjust the overall exposure and use Fill Light to open the shadows in the rocks. I saved the image again and imported it back into Lightroom, where I manage all my photos. As a finishing touch, I burned in the edges slightly using the Vignettes feature in Lightroom.

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By Peter Liu

Camera: Nikon D2X
Exposure: 30
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 46 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

How I got this shot:

The key to a shot like this is a long exposure—in this case, 30 seconds. This is one of those rare sunsets that didn’t fizzle out after the sun disappeared below the horizon. Instead, the sky just kept getting more and more fiery and red.

While the colors were developing, the overall light levels were diminishing over time, which enabled me to make longer and longer exposures, until I could capture the ethereal feel of the waves crashing over the lava rocks and expose the reflection of the red sky on the wet sand in the foreground (which would otherwise have been obscured by the waves).

I used a 3-stop ND grad (neutral density graduated filter) lined up with the horizon, which allowed me to meter the whole scene as if there was less light than there actually was, thereby achieving even slower shutter speeds.

I did the post processing in Lightroom, but there wasn’t really much to do. I basically just used Fill Light to open up the shadows in the lava rocks, then sharpened them slightly. I had used an ExpoDisc to set the white balance, so there wasn’t any correction to be done there.

I always shoot RAW, so I can manipulate the white balance in post if I need to, and so that I can maximize the color and detail captured by the sensor. As a general rule, I try to do as much in-camera as possible, to minimize the need for post processing.

In terms of composition, I purposely placed Molokini in the upper left quadrant of the frame (Rule of Thirds), and was lucky enough to have a rock in the lower left that I could use as an anchor for the eye.

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