When a Sunset Goes Laser

There are only 365 days in a year. Just a little remedial math. Each year there are only about 10 days a year when the clouds are so thick they blot out the sun but for about 5 minutes as the sun slips behind the horizon it lights up the world with a thin wide red/orange light.

When it happens it doesn’t last long. The clouds and the horizon create the filter to shape the light and cast it in such a way the light is wide, but not very tall. The sky doesn’t light up. The sunset isn’t dramatic and spread out. It is like a bright spotlight with a gel placed over it and shutters on the top and bottom to force the light into a narrow beam.

Last night was one of those rare nights.  Monsoon storms all afternoon.  Heavy cloud cover and then the sun broke through the clouds on it way to say good night.  The slot was so narrow the top and bottom of the sun were cut off.  But for those few minutes when the light was laser clear it hit the mountains in a dramatic fashion.  You can see the clouds aren’t lite, and there is the hint of a rainbow to the left of the tree where a little light skips through the clouds.

HDR Post Processing

This image was very dark when originally shot.  HDR processing balanced the light.  A little sharpening added to put back detail the HDR processing blurred slightly.  The saturation level was set low to keep as much detail as possible making it necessary to increase the saturation of the mountains to bring the light back to the same level as when it was shot.

I removed some rust stains on the concrete below which I’ve called hecklers in the audience in a previous post.

Being Prepared For THE SHOT

I sometimes take a ribbing for riding around with a camera bag and heavy tripod with me where ever I go.  I’ll confess, (little confession) in the middle of the day I sometimes don’t bring the tripod along.  I figure I can handhold for about anything I’ll want to capture.

But during monsoon when sudden storms arrive and lightening strikes shoot from the skies like a Tesla Coil I keep the tripod close at hand.  If you want to get “THE SHOT”  keep your equipment close.

Add up those 10 days with a 5 minute burst of light and we end up with 50 minutes a year to be in the right place at the right time for such a capture.  How do you prepare for this kind of shot?

Plan Those Moments

As I drive around town, my image finder is always engaged.  If I see something I want to shot in a particular light I make a note of it.  If I can’t stop but see a shot I want in that same light I quickly look at the time and lighting conditions.  I have a whole mental databank of future images and times.

I scout locations and check lighting and angle of the sun.  I have some shots I know I will have to wait 6 months to get.  Why?  Because there are only a few days when the sun is going to set right over the spot I want it.  The sun is one light source we can’t move, we wait for it get where it is going. When it gets there we are prepared to capture the light.

Tags: laser light sunset, note future shots