Cradle of the sun
The sprawling branches of a lonely baobab tree on the banks of the Zambezi River cradle the setting sun for a brief moment - a scene that reminds one that "...
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The sprawling branches of a lonely baobab tree on the banks of the Zambezi River cradle the setting sun for a brief moment - a scene that reminds one that "there is no sunset like an African sunset".
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Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken from the very middle of the mighty Zambezi River where it divides Zambia and Zimbabwe at the border crossing named Chirundu (meaning, "people following one another in a line or queue" in the local Shona language).Time
They say there's no sunset like an African sunset, and indeed rarely a day goes by where one is not astounded by the beauty that radiates forth from the continent's horizon as the sun slips towards it. Late afternoon is the time to catch this brilliant natural display, exemplified by this image captured at the close of day.Lighting
Multiple elements came together to give this shot the lighting it has. For context, winter in the bushveld is characterised by dry, mild conditions that favour veld fires. The ensuing build-up of smoke in the atmosphere over the course of what is a largely windless season taints the blueness of the sky by day but magnifies the yellows, oranges, and reds of sunrise and sunset. It was this colour pallet I wished to capture. The moment I saw the baobab tree on the shoreline I knew I wanted a silhouette shot as well. These two desires complemented each other in the sense that both required low lighting to black out the shadows, and give the richness of colour to the sky I envisioned. This meant gearing my settings and filter usage towards minimising the amount of light I was letting into the camera to not only achieve these goals but also reduce the amount of detail burnt out by bright highlights associated with shooting the sun directly, particularly around the tree branches.Equipment
I took this photo with the first DSLR I owned: A Nikon D80, paired with its stock-standard 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens; a little over a year after receiving it. It was a gift from my parents for my 17th birthday, and arguably the best gift I've ever received as it opened the world of photography to me. The only addition to the camera was a Cokin ND grad filter affixed to the front of the lens. It deserves special note that when I first saw the baobab, the boat was not at anchor but slowly drifting downstream. We moved the boat back upstream ahead of the tree several times until I managed to capture the sun perfectly in its arms as we drifted past. One could, therefore, say the boat formed part of the equipment, in a certain sense at least...Inspiration
The baobab tree could be called the Redwood of Africa: it is a tree of the ages - long-lived, tremendous in stature, magnificent to behold, and deeply entrenched in local lore and history. Whenever I visit this part of the world (which lies within the trees' range), I make it a goal to capture a unique and striking image of one or more of these icons of Africa. The afternoon I took this photo, I found myself presented with just such an opportunity, wherein the time of day, the corresponding position of the sun, the isolated nature of the subject tree against the surrounding vegetation which made for an unmistakable silhouette, and the vibrant colours all came together to produce an image that, at least for me, embodies the very essence of Africa.Editing
The tree was ever so slightly off-centre in the original image, so the only processing involved was a slight crop of the left side of the image to centre the tree, enhancing its impact as the subject.In my camera bag
I've been a full-time university student as long as I've had my camera and thus have had limited opportunities to earn additional money to spend on camera equipment. And that which I have earned doesn't go too far - photography is an expensive hobby! I have learnt to make the most of the versatility of the standard 18-135mm lens the camera came with and have only invested in six additional, what I consider essential, items: a good quality, sturdy tripod with a 3-way head (Manfrotto, obviously), a 105mm f/2.8 macro lens - essential for capturing the smaller side of life that falls outside of the capabilities of my standard lens, a circular polariser for the latter, a Cokin filter connection kit with an ND grad filter and mounting rings for both lenses, a remote trigger (for blur-free long exposures), and a puffer and soft cloth to keep everything squeaky clean. I was also privileged to be gifted with an older generation, second-hand flash gun. These are my non-negotiables, and you will always find them in my kit, together with a fully-charged spare battery and two spare 8GB SD cards.Feedback
I have two pieces of advice: Firstly, specific to sunrises and sunsets, one of the first things I learnt about landscape photography when I was teaching myself about photography was this: Most, if not all, of the most breath-taking sunrise and sunset images, have been captured showcasing what the author of one book termed "glorious colours". He described "glorious colours" as those that "pop" for a very brief moment in time - 30 seconds at most - anytime from 2 hours before to 2 hours after sunrise or sunset. These are the colours that you should strive to capture when photographing the rising or setting sun, and that leads me to my second piece of advice: I would argue that 70% of a striking image is being in the right place at the right time, and this means two things: 1) patience and persistence are the order of the day, and 2) you've got to get out there! If you're not out there, you'll never encounter the opportunities that lead to winning photos. If you're not persistent in your efforts to get out there, stay out there, and capture what you seek, that winner will similarly elude you. And if you're not patient, you risk giving up before the opportunity presents itself. Art is sometimes described as a labour of love, and photography certainly fits this bill. it takes hard, diligent work to capture something truly astounding, but the reward is certainly worth the effort!
