EpicByErika

Ponta da Piedade

Long exposure of a moody winter sunrise at Ponta De Piedade in Algarve, Portugal

Long exposure of a moody winter sunrise at Ponta De Piedade in Algarve, Portugal
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Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

settings

Aperture f/13 ISO 100 Shutter 121/1 Focal Length 27/1

upload_date

Dec, 2019

Views

1921

Likes

+367

Awards

Top Shot Award 21

Spring 21 Award

Pro Backpack

Contest Finalist in Boulders Photo Contest 2019

Peer Award

+470

Top Choice

+20

Absolute Masterpiece

+10

Magnificent Capture

Superb Composition

All Star

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

Virtuoso

Emotions

Impressed

+27

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Behind The Lens

Location

Ponta da Piedade is a headland with a group of rock formations along the coastline of the town of Lagos, in the Portuguese region of the Algarve.

Time

This shot was taken at sunrise, with the sun rising behind the clouds.

Lighting

I was very happy to have clouds in the sky that morning and when I saw the beautiful light from the rising sun, I decided to use an ND filter to capture the movement of the clouds at the same time and the reflection of the light in the water.

Equipment

I used my full-frame Canon 5D Mark IV with the 16-35mm wide angle lens on a tripod and a strong 11 stop ND filter.

Inspiration

I got an invitation from a fellow photographer friend to join him on a trip to Algarve. Since I love to capture seascapes, I did not hesitate for a second! We did not know the area well, only saw a few pictures online, so we decided to scout the locations during the day. We found Ponta da Piedade very attractive, although at sunset some boats were offering to adventurous tourists trips to the nearby caves. We knew this would be a great sunrise location and decided to return the next day. We got up at 5 am and drove 50 minutes to this location, took the 128 steps to the bottom of the cliff. Fortunately, there were no boats, and we arrived well before the sunrise to capture the colours in the sky!

Editing

Usually, a similar dynamic scene requires to capture the sky and the foreground separately. First, I wanted to use a 3 stop neutral density filter to blur the water a little bit. When I saw the movement in the clouds, I decided to shoot a long, 2-minute exposure instead using a strong 11 stop ND filter, and then removed the filter and took a correctly exposed shot for the rocks in the foreground. The final image is a merge of these two. I blended the photos manually in Photoshop, using layers and masks.

In my camera bag

Whenever I am planning to shoot outdoors, I usually carry my full-frame Canon 5D Mark IV camera with the 16-35mm wide angle lens in my bag. If there is a chance to spot wildlife, I also pack the 100-400mm lens, as I love animals! I am a big fan of long exposure shots of running water or moving clouds and therefore you can always find a number of neutral density filters as well as a polariser in my backpack. Spare batteries and memory cards are a must!

Feedback

Never underestimate location scouting. Although there are thousands of shots published online, the scene can be different when you at the location. I used an application to plan the angle of the sunrise, which also determined whether I am going to shoot from the top or the bottom of the cliff the next morning. My advice for seascapes is to always have a few neutral density filters (3,6,10 stop or similar) and a polariser in your bag. These work well in dull weather too; you can capture interesting BW shots with silky water. In a high dynamic scene like this, you will need to take bracketed shots and merge them during the post-process. If the light and the colours in the sky are changing rapidly, take the first few shots of the sky.

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Ponta da Piedade