Dramatic purple sunset in Borneo
A really unbelievable sunset in Borneo
A really unbelievable sunset in Borneo
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Aug, 2014Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Top Shot Award 22
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Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
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Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Exceptional Contrast
Virtuoso
Jaw Dropping
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truetolifephotography
January 15, 2015
Thank you and it did feel breathtaking to me so I am pleased that has been conveyed to you :)
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MaryAnne306
November 03, 2014
Gorgeous photo. The framing around the view is well done and workd beautifully. Congratulations on your feature.
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truetolifephotography
January 15, 2015
Glad it has the impact with you I am hoping for. Was an astonishing scene to witness so I felt it important to bring it back in an image as faithfully as possible.
truetolifephotography
January 15, 2015
Thanks for the sentiments and feedback. Those two trees caught my eyes early on when looking for compositions so I was over the moon when I set up there and this remarkable sunset occurred.
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truetolifephotography
January 15, 2015
Thanks for the feedback. getting the details and colours on the tree was something I was pleased to achieve with this shot
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truetolifephotography
January 15, 2015
Thanks Etna. The purples were off the charts no this occasion.
truetolifephotography
March 22, 2015
That's exactly the take me there kind of reaction I like to hear from my images photogirl33
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jeffreycutlip
April 06, 2015
Great moment captured! Pass the 30spf I think I'm getting burned! I wish the sail boat had passed into the sun's reflection when exposed, still a really fine photo.
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Tanda4bama
August 23, 2016
viewbug.com/challenge/beautiful-beach-sceneryno-people-photo-challenge-by-tanda4bama
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. I was on a long much needed holiday after recovering from a serious hand injury which had meant I could not use my camera at all for about 6 months. This photo along with several others that make up this series over 2 weeks was the very beginning of me catching up with building my portfolio! This one was halfway through the holiday.Time
Approaching sunset. I had been trying to get out every day for a sunset (and sunrise) if I thought it might yield something. Borneo (from previous experience) seems to have some of the most incredibly beautiful light, daily variety of colours and distinctive sunrise/sunset hues and I have seen an awful lot of both around the world from the ground and in the air!Lighting
Do you mean apart from the colour purple? Joking aside..Yes absolutely! It wasn't just the colour it was HOW the colour was being cast that made this such an amazing sunset. It was like a purple and orange eclipse or something akin to that. So the entire surroundings looked as if bathed in this colour combination. I simply could not believe it. Everywhere I looked was being painted with these colours which is why you also see it on the trunks of the palm trees. However, nothing prepared me for how this scene unfolded. The purple and the clouds became more intense and ominous looking and so I made a quick decision to relocate shortly after this in order to get more of the cloud formation into the subsequent captures. One of these images is also in my portfolio. As much as I liked this composition, the formation of the clouds later on would have been lost if I stayed here.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon D800E, a Nikon 16-35mm f/4, a Manfrotto tripod with Manfrotto head and cable release. No other equipment was used. I had a 2 stop graduated ND filter with me in a Cokin P series filter holder but I decided not to use it due to the other compositional elements.Inspiration
Having spent a week here already I was looking for a different composition first of all. I had come to this spot earlier in the day and decided if things got interesting as sunset approached, I would start by positioning myself here. I had one other location in mind nearby for composition as a back up which proved handy as I explained earlier! Things did get very interesting... I had been watching the clouds forming in the late afternoon and experience from a workshop I had been on a couple of years before this shot was taken had prepared me to think "something" might happen here. I was happy enough with the elements in the scene as composed so it was all about waiting for the light and it went beyond expectations. What's funny is that this shot was taken calmly and I was well prepared for it but the increasing intensity of the colours and the clouds later on suddenly gave me a dilemma and made my heart race. The question I was asking myself was "should I stay here or should I rush to the other location"? I chuckle to myself now because I remember thinking that it was worth the risk to recompose despite my calm turning to mayhem as the part of the sky that had changed would have been mostly hidden by this composition. On balance, as I felt I had this one in the bag and the other location was within running distance, I decided to grab everything and run! It was worth it I think. The other image may not have the same depth with the trees in the foreground but I feel it makes up for it with the swirling shape and intensity of the colours.Editing
The crop is minor. Slight adjustment for levelling. Apart from standard RAW corrections like sharpening and lens profile correction, the edits are solely about bringing back the colours as I saw them as close as possible. I have gotten to know the dynamic range of the D800E very well and knew that I could lift the shadows in the tree trunks very nicely revealing lovely textures on the bark and the gorgeous purple cast that was painting them. Additional vibrance and saturation from (standard) RAW is very limited here. A few dust spots removed and that's about it.In my camera bag
Not an easy one to answer because I photograph everything from landscapes to sports, wildlife, underwater, and aerial. I have equipment to cover all of this pretty well. Although this image was captured with a 16-35mm lens, it was specifically on this trip that I fell in love with my prime Nikon 50mm 1.4D for landscape use. People talk about this lens and its newer version as a great one for portraits but I use it a LOT for landscapes. I think our eyes must "see" in 50mm! Works for me anyway. If really limited on space I will carry the 16-35mm, the prime 50mm and if possible the 70-200mm f2.8 and maybe my 2x teleconverter. Cable release of course. I have 3 different tripods of various sizes depending on space and a monopod plus a selection of ND filters plus a graduated ND with filter holder. Also standard polarisers but no colour correcting filters at all. Goes against my general truetolifephotography philosophy. I have nothing against their use just decided it's not for me. For the wildlife and sports I take my Nikon 400mm f2.8. Affectionately known as the "pig" as it's so heavy but I love it. I have a few other gadgets but I also like to travel with my canvas Domke camera bag. Just love the go anywhere, durable old school feel that it has. Underwater so far I have been using a Canon G9 with 2x Ikelite strobes (DS51 and DS161) in a Ikelite housing. Attachments include a wide angle lens and a 10x magnifier for macro work.Feedback
For landscape work it helps to get to know a location well or do a workshop in a location where lighting direction knowledge is critical for success and the tutor knows the location well. Think equally about what to keep in the frame and what to keep out and pay attention to the scene as a whole and really try to make sure that the whole thing tells the story that you want it to. I wanted as tropical, holiday and almost melancholy feel to this image as possible which is why I put the foreground trees in the frame and included the elements like the islands and yacht in silhouette. A frame within a frame as well. It was also about observing the clouds and getting a feeling that the way they were forming would give a higher probably of an interesting coloured sky. Like I said nature often surprises you. Thankfully here things went beyond what I thought would happen. Sometimes it's the other way around. That's landscape photography for you! Be prepared either way.
