Sunset on the Sea

A substantial piece of a tree is back illuminated by the light of the sunset on the sea. The complex patterns of the light on the clouds contrast the horizontal lines of the water on the calm sea.

About the photo

It is really simple actually. I was at the beach on the afternoon, I saw the scene and I made the shoot. That’s what a third person would say. Photography is about choices, combination of elements and playing with light. It is obvious that I was at the beach in the afternoon. I wasn’t really there to photograph anything but I had the camera with me because I always do. I saw the piece of tree but I couldn’t find a good composition for a photo until the end of the day.

When the setting sun began illuminating the clouds from behind I finally found what I was looking for. I decided to put the tree against the brighter portion of the reflection of the sunset on the sea. That way, I could focus on the colours, the lines and the contrast between light and dark on the portion of the sea.

I don’t usually put the horizon in the middle of the frame. Actually, I usually find it as an element of a careless composition. In this photo I think it works because the image can be divided in two in two halves. One half is the mountains and sky. The other, the sea and the tree. Each one of them could be a photo of its own but they are also parts of a whole. Since those two halves don’t interact someone can divide them in half.

When I was doing the post-processing of the photo, I decided to use a Fujifim Velvia 50 film simulation in order to make reds more prominent and thus enhance the feeling of the sunset on the sea.

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