f/8 and be there: the mantra of the press photographer - set the lens aperture to that value and let what's happening in front of you do the rest. Wise words, indeed, if you have a subject to photograph, but it's another drab day, light wise, and another late start before the weather gets interesting. With less than an hour to go before sunset I set out on my bike, chasing the light.
The cloud has broken sufficiently, and experience tells me that I may not only get a sunset to photograph, but also an afterglow - more photogenic in my book. This does not always happen once the sun dips below the horizon, but it's always worth waiting to see if it happens before packing up and leaving the scene.
Today it does. I select the widest lens in my bag, and keeping a wary eye on an incoming tide I go down on one knee to get a lower angle. I start making photographs as soon as the sun disappears from view and watch keenly as the strength of the colours on the clouds intensifies. I have to be vigilant and shoot at the peak as the colours are at their strongest for only a minute or so: after that they weaken and fade and the shoot is over.
12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/100 second at f/8. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 800
© 2012
2 comments:
Amazing what drab days can produce, isn't it?
Sometimes the best, my friend, when a few minutes of light makes all the difference.
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