Key West Sunset
Mar, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo while on vacation in Key West a few years ago. It was during the nightly sunset festival in Mallory Square.Time
This was at sunset in December 2016 from the pier. Cruise ships are supposed to leave by 4:30 p.m. because they block the view. This day they were late leaving and we thought we were going to miss it.Lighting
I still had a lot to learn and this was a tricky light situation with the ship and birds being back lit. Fortunately I had learned to shoot in raw so as I was revisiting older photos while home during the pandemic, I re-edited it using what I learned since then.Equipment
I took this photo using a Canon 70D and Tamron 16-300 lens, handheld.Inspiration
I like watching sunrises, sunsets, and sailing ships. I liked the ship sailing and birds flying towards the setting sun.Editing
As mentioned above, I re-edited the original raw photo. I toned down some of the highlights in the sky and brought out more details in the ship that was mostly in shadow. To be truthful, I also added a few more birds in Photoshop. I had been trying to get the flocks of birds and ship all pointing the same way but it seemed like every time it happened, there was something else in the way. This was the only "clean" photo and had only a couple of birds so I copied a few more from one of my other photos.In my camera bag
Back then I only carried the 70D, Tamron 16-300 lens, Tamron 24-70 lens, and a Vanguard tripod.Feedback
If you want to try to get sunset in Key West, it may take a couple of days depending on the weather. Get there well before sunset to stake out an unobstructed spot because it gets very crowded.
