Exposure Compensation
If your base exposure from what the camera wants is not an ideal exposure, or you have clipping in the highlights or shadows, an exposure adjustment will be needed.
In Aperture Priority mode, you can adjust the exposure by using the exposure compensation button which will be on your camera with a symbol showing +/-. At this stage, make the appropriate adjustment to obtain an ideal exposure ensuring you are not clipping the highlights yet the image is not too dark overall.
The Sunrise Challenge
At sunrise, you often face an extreme range of contrast - the sky and lit peaks may be very bright while the foreground is still in shadow. If you can't get a good exposure of both sky and foreground in one image, you'll need to either use filters or bracket multiple exposures.
When One Exposure Isn't Enough
If when making exposure adjustments you find you are either having to make most of the image dark to get a good exposure of the sky, or you have to overexpose the sky to get a good exposure of the foreground, then you will have to either use filters or bracket multiple exposures and combine them in Photoshop to obtain the dynamic range required.
I'm a believer in taking the simplest route when it can be afforded. In high contrast situations, using a graduated neutral density filter would be the easiest approach - it handles the problem in-camera without complex post-processing.
Graduated Neutral Density Filters
A graduated ND filter is dark on one half and clear on the other, with a gradual transition between. You position the dark half over the bright sky, reducing its exposure while leaving the darker foreground unaffected.
Types of Graduated ND Filters:
- Hard edge: Abrupt transition - best for flat horizons (ocean, prairies)
- Soft edge: Gradual transition - best for uneven horizons (mountains!)
- Reverse grad: Darkest at horizon, lighter toward top - ideal for sunrise/sunset
- 2-stop (0.6): Moderate correction
- 3-stop (0.9): Strong correction - most useful for sunrise
My Recommendation
For Moraine Lake sunrise photography, I use a soft-edge 3-stop graduated ND filter most frequently. The soft edge blends naturally around the irregular mountain peaks, and 3 stops is usually enough to balance the bright sky with the shadowed foreground.
Exposure Bracketing
If you don't have filters, or the dynamic range is extreme, you can bracket multiple exposures and blend them in post-processing (HDR technique).
Bracketing Workflow:
- Take your base exposure (what the meter suggests)
- Take an underexposed shot (-2 stops) - preserves highlight detail
- Take an overexposed shot (+2 stops) - preserves shadow detail
- Use your camera's auto-bracketing feature to automate this
- Blend in Lightroom/Photoshop using HDR merge or luminosity masks
The advantage of bracketing is flexibility in post-processing. The disadvantage is more complex workflow and potential for ghosting if anything moves between frames (clouds, water, wildlife).