Photo Tips for Photographing Natural Phenomena

The Following are some tips I have gleaned from various books and personal experience.

Into the Sun
Using ISO 50 1/250 sec at f/22
Using ISO 100 1/500 sec at f/22

Sunrise and Sunset
Take a meter reading with the sun in the shot using a wide or normal lens and underexpose by ½ stop.
If using a telephoto, take the reading off the sky adjacent to the sun, then underexpose by ½ stop.

Rainbows
Underexpose by ½ to 1 stop, try using a polarizing filter.

Seafog and Morning Mist
If sun is behind you and shining on the mist, take reading on the mist and overexpose by 1 stop to lighten the mist.
If mist is pink or gold, adhere to meter reading, if using lens over 100mm, take reading to the side of the sun.

Sunlight through Trees
Using ISO 100 1/250 at f/22, f/16/ f/11
If sunlight is from the side, bracket ½ stop either side.
If 2/3 of the scene is brighter than the rest, over expose by ½ stop. If 2/3 of the scene is darker than the rest, underexpose by ½ stop.

Clouds
Expose for effect
If dark and ominous, underexpose by 1-3 stops. Most sky shots benefits from underexpose, polarize if the scene is 90degrees to the sun.

Lighting
If daytime, be lucky
If at night, use low ISO, tripod, and wide or normal lens. Compose with foreground to express perspective, focus at infinity and f/16. Use time exposure and cable release.

The Moon
If shooting only the moon, use a 300mm or larger telephoto lens, Using 100 ISO 1/250 sec at f/8.

Moonlit landscape
Easiest when snow is on the ground, if facing east 40-60 minutes after sunset, if facing west 20-40 minutes after sunset, using ISO 100 1/250sec at f/8.
At night using ISO 100 30 seconds at f/2. Remember, the moon is larger at rise and set.

Stars
Use landscape to set scale. To show movement of the stars, ISO 100 15 sec to 1hr f/2.8 or f/4. Use widest lens and tripod, point to the North Star.

Aurora Borealis
Tripod, wide or normal lens, ISO 100 15 to 40 sec, use cable release.

Rain
1/8 to 1/30 sec shows best with a dark background and the rain a bit distant.

Water Drops
If strong back lighting, underexpose by 1or2 stops.

Bodies of Water
Time exposure of 30+ seconds at f/22 or f/32 to show water ripples before sunrise or sunset.

Waterfalls
1/8 to ½ seconds for gentle water, 1/500 to show big, fast, powerful water.

Snow
For white snow, overexpose 1 f stop, the more white, the more exposure.

Falling Snow
Use flash with dark background at dusk will make each flake stand-out. To show a snowstorm, 1/15 to 1/60 seconds.

Frost
Expose as for snow. On window use macro lens and f/5.6 – f/11.

Ice
If light, overexpose, If gray, follow meter, If dark, underexpose.