Sunset at Tanah Lot - Bali
Apr, 2013Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I will try to tell with my broken English. I took this photo at Tanah Lot, a popular tourist destination in Bali - Indonesia. It is one of the important directional temples in Bali. The temple is located on a rock just offshore. It is said to be the work of revered 15th century Hindu priest Nirartha and forms an important element of Balinese spirtualism and mythology.Time
The best time for taking picture in Tanah Lot is when the sun goes down, so I came here about 1 or 2 hours before sunset, looking for the right angle and preparing my camera. There are many tourists wants to witness breathtaking sunset in this area.Lighting
I set my exposure control in center-weighted metering in order to make a silhouette of the temple with beautiful sunset sky as the background. I avoid the direct sunlight by put the sun behind the temple. The exposure value was set in -0,7Equipment
I use my DSLR with 10-20mm lens in 10mm to get the distortion of the clouds. I also put a CPL filter to warmth the colors and to reduce some unexpected reflections. I did not used any tripod. It was bright enough for taking pictures with normal speed without tripod.Inspiration
I often see postcards about amazing sunset in Tanah Lot and I really want to make my own with my camera. So, I took picture of this holy temple on my point of view and luckily, I came in the right time, when white clouds turn into sunset colors.Editing
I did some post-processing on this photo. Firstly, I sharpened the image, especially the edge of the temple image. Then make it more contrast to bring out the colorful sky. I use image adjustment to get more vibrant colors. I did a channel mixer too, for popping out the blue sky. Partially, I brushed the image with burn and dodge brush to add contrast, texture or brighten some parts, especially the foreground.In my camera bag
Normally, I have one DSLR (mine is Nikon D7000) with my 10-20mm favorite lens with CPL filter, 50mm lens, 80-200mm lens for portraiture, some ND and GND filters with the holder, battery and other small equipments. I usually bring my tripod for landscape photography.Feedback
To get the good sunset photos, you should come earlier, 1 or 2 hours before sunset. Try as many as possible angles to get your best shot. Taking sunset is depends on the weather. In tropical countries, June - September is the best month for sunsets, sunrises and seascapes. The sunset goes on seconds, be well prepared. Make sure your battery is full, your memory card in in, set the exposure, the white balance, etc. Be careful, the wet rocks can be slippery...
