Angkor Wat Sunrise
Sep, 2013Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Cambodia in the Angkor Wat Temple.Time
I spent a week in Siem Reap and took the 3days pass to visit the temples. My main objective was taking the sun rising behind this temple with the sun reflecting in the water in front it. This was my last chance after 2 attempts earlier the same week. I woke up at 3am (it's been raining hard all night) took a heavy breakfast and started my day by cycling to the temple which is around 12kms away. It was drizzling until 5am which wasn't a good sign for my sunrise but it stopped and finally started to clear up right before the rising. It wasn't clear enough for the shot I wished however the colors in the clouds were just magnificentLighting
I really wanted a clearer sky and the ball of fire reflecting but the universe sometimes gives you something even betterEquipment
This photo was shot with a Nikon D5100, Nikkor 18-200mm f3.5/5.6 VRII and a cheap but sturdy tripod bought in Hong KongInspiration
I've seen many shots of the sunrising behind the temple and I know that in this season the position of the sun rising is right behind the entrance of the temple for an even more dramatic result. Again as I said I haven't getting the shot expected but came out with something still worth sharing.Editing
I always do a bit of post processing using Adobe Lightroom. I simply adjusted the contrast, highlights, shadows and clarityIn my camera bag
As a world traveller weight has a huge impact on my camera bag so I carry what I consider the most versatile equipment that allows me to take any kind of photos in any situations at any given time. Nikon D5100, Nikkor 18-200mm 3.5/5.6 VRII, Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and a classic cleaning kit to keep my equipment as dust proof as possibleFeedback
Well scout early to get the perfect place to place your tripod or yourself. Note I was there the first at 4.30am after cycling for almost an hour under the rain and had to wait for over an hour in pitch dark before getting the first lights. Photography is always a story of patience. So be early, prepared and you should be getting this kind of image and even better. Good luck
