Goury lighthouse at sunset
Sun setting behind Goury Lighthouse
Sun setting behind Goury Lighthouse
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Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture at a small village called Goury, near Auderville on the North West coast of France. The area is part of the Normandy region and is easily accessed from the UK.Time
Not sure of the exact time but I'd spent the day walking around the village and local harbour at all times keeping an 'eye on the sky'. I knew the sun would set to the West and with the high cloud cover being light I anticipated a super sunset. I considered a number of possible shooting locations as my plan was to capture an image of the setting sun with the lighthouse and people (to add scale), in the foreground. At around 9pm I made my way to my chosen shooting location where I was able to set my tripod and camera on top of a picnic table. Fortunately at that time it was very quiet so I was alone and had time to compose and take some 'practice' shots.Lighting
The lighting was amazing both during and after the sunset. As the sun set further the intensity of light kept changing with the movement of the clouds and there was a lovely feel to the evening. It was comfortable and everything, including the lighthouse, water, foreshore, and fields were bathed in the warm evening light. As I was shooting directly into the light (Contre-jour) I experienced lens flare! This initially concerned me but I was fortunate enough to be able to recompose and include the flare as part of the final image. I feel this worked well and adds an additional element to the shot. Note: During my shooting session I had hoped the actual ‘Light’ within the lighthouse would be on while the sun was setting but this was not the case. On reflection, see my other uploaded Goury image, I feel it was better without the flashing light in the shot as having more than one source of light would have introduced conflict. After the sun had set and the light started ‘Flashing’ I managed to get some more great shots as the light provided the focal point I needed for the lighthouse while lovely post sunset colours still filled the sky.Equipment
I used my Canon 5DMKIII Camera, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS Lens (Stabilisation turned off as camera was tripod mounted), Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 Carbon Fibre Tripod with 468MGRC2 Hydrostatic Ball Head.Inspiration
I love sunsets. However, on more than one occasion I’ve been totally convinced that my images are as good as I feel when I’m taking them - but then on returning home, I’ve been disappointed. I’ve often found they lack interest so in addition to checking where the sun will set I also strive to include additional points of interest e.g. Lighthouses, People, Landmarks, Animals, Water etc. I also check the state of the tide, projected wave height, weather, and access before the shoot. To this end I normally visit the location a number of times until all the elements work together allowing me to get the 'Shot’ that I’ve visualised! In terms of software apps I use Google Maps/Images/Tides, Canon Lens Guru, BBC weather, TPE (The Photographers Ephemeris) and normally check to see what other photographers have managed to capture before my shoot.Editing
My workflow consists of; Camera to Adobe Lightroom (Catalogue and first edit), Adobe Photoshop CC for main editing (RAW mostly as higher bit depth), and finally ON1 Photo Suite if required. In the case of the Goury light house shot I cropped to get the composition I wanted, adjusted the exposure using Adobe RAW, sized for computer update, converted to jpg, and sharpened for On Screen display.In my camera bag
Depends on the ‘Shoot’ but my standard lens is the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L which is normally on my 5D MKIII. I usually carry a 430EX flash in the event I need fill light, my canon 16-35 f/2.8L for wide angles, Manfrotto carbon tripod, and a set of filters. (3 * ND, Polariser & Skylight). I keep a canon ‘protect’ filter on my lenses by default.Feedback
Try and visualise your final shot. Conduct your research and If possible visit your planned location at different times of the day as well as months of the year; In essence, the sun always sets in the west but in the summer it is much further north and in winter it is further south. This is a major consideration when you’re trying to get a point of interest between yourself and the setting sun. If you’re going to incorporate water the bigger the moon the higher the tides – again depending on what your shooting this can be important. (Full moon Spring tides - New Moon neap tides). For the Goury shot I had to use quite a short exposure time (ISO 100 1/80th Sec ) but on later images I took I was able to use a longer exposure (ISO 100 8.0 Sec) resulting in ‘Smooth’ water which I felt was better as part of the foreground. Use a long lens – My favourite is my canon 300mm f/2.8L IS but this is bulky so unless I have transport I carry my 70-200mm f/2.8L which is heavy enough. Don’t pack up as soon as the sun sets – There’s a Scottish word called ‘Gloamin’ which is the time after the sun sets but the sky is still bright ( If you’ve included a point of interest in your composition this can be better than the sunset). Use a good lightweight Tripod. Have patience, and enjoy!
