“And don’t forget to look up…”

Posted by gary cooper on May 15, 2012
Posted in: Creativity, Photography. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment

"Fairfax Sunset"This is a shot of a December 2011, sunset in Fairfax, Virginia. I used a Canon 5D MkII and a Canon 50mm 1.4 lens. I was inside at the time and caught a glimpse of the colors of the sunset from the living room window. There was no setup time and the angle directly towards the sun was obscured by the neighborhood trees and power lines. I just happened to look up and captured what you see here. Because it was all unplanned, I only had time to put the camera in Program mode and was not adjust any of the other controls.I did not think I had anything that evening, but when I looked at the images a month later I found this one. I enhanced the purple, red, and pink just a bit to bring back the original emotion of what I saw. The randomness of the bare branches contrasts with the softness of the clouds and colors. The branches also form a reminder of the natural order of connectedness--all starting from one source and moving out on their own while still connected to their beginnings.The key to great sunset shots is to plan and set up ahead of time. Make an event of it. The light changes literally every second and the difference between the sky at one point and then a few minutes later can be significant. When I do a dedicated sunset shoot, I usually take a couple of hundred images in one session. Afterwards, I sort through them and find that one moment that captures the entire evening.Despite my necessity to plan--this shot was pure luck. It is a reminder that in photography "if you see it, shoot it." The difference of one second in time can be the difference in a great shot.

or around…or behind…

The shot you want is not always where you are looking.

I was focused on the horizon–the classic sunset.

Waiting for the next change in color I happened to look up.

What I found was more interesting than what I intended.

–gtc

Copyright © 2012 Gary Cooper Photography. All Rights Reserved.

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