Sun.Star Cebu - Sun.Star Cebu Weekend
Glorious sunset
IWAS in Boracay lately and more than the powdery white sand and crystal clear water is the glorious sunset. Every day, no miss. It’s there with or without audience. What makes it a really a spectacular scene is that it only lasts for a couple of minutes. You stare at the moment and hold your breathe as the ray of warm orange and some chrome yellow skies slowly swallow the golden sun. Then a magnificent afterglow follows.
I was shooting a model at that time. We started shooting late afternoon to get a soft and less contrasty light. When shooting, I’m totally framed into my shots and can’t be interrupted by anything. So I didn’t realize that the spectacle has begun. As soon as I glanced upon it, like hypnosis, I stared at it and paused. I wanted to take a photo of it but decided to just sit in the sand and enjoy the view.
I’ve seen a lot of Boracay sunset photos but it’s incomparable to actually experiencing it yourself. The colors are out of range from any top of the line camera. The dynamic range it offers is just to wide to be captured. The feel of the soft wind and the damp fine sand in your feet completes the entire experience.
When you’re a photographer, you can almost taste the sunset. The relationship between a photographer and the sunset goes a long way. When you’re a starting up photographer, your first poster shots would have probably be a sunset other than the zoomed flower. There’s never a sunset that’s the same as the last time. They’re all unique.
The following day, I thought I’d take a different perspective of the sunset. This time I wanted to capture the yellow rays of the sun lighting one side of the scene. I decided to take the steep walk to the viewing deck of Boracay. Sweating and catching my breath, there were two viewing decks and I have to decide which one to take.
The farther deck has a better view but I noticed that it was built on a steel structure. This type of structure is always vibrating and one of my planned shots will be long exposure. I decided to take the cement structured deck. I came a bit early so I took some safety shots. I normally do that so If ever it rains or dark clouds envelops the skies, I will have some decent shots to bring back.
Half an hour before the sunset, I started setting
The relationship between a photographer and the sunset goes a long way... There’s never a sunset that’s the same as the last time. They’re all unique.”
up my tripod and deciding whether to take a wide shot or isolated shots using my long lens. Upon seeing the windmills, I knew immediately that I have to put it in my frame. So I decided to use my zoom lens and put the cascading villas in my foreground and put the windmills in my background.
If you’re wondering why I was shooting at higher ISO, that’s because the image is magnified by the lens and so the vibration is magnified too. I have to shoot at higher shutter speed to get a sharper capture. Keep on shooting, everyone!
Upon seeing the windmills, I knew immediately that I have to put it in my frame.”