Santa Monica Sunset
Nov, 2021Views
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Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
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Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
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Happy
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on the beach at Santa Monica pier in California. I was living in Topanga for a month and this was one of the first nights I experienced a California sunset.Time
It was taken around 6 PM Pacific time, as it started to get cooler and the beach patrons thinned out, packed up their towels, and headed to their cars.Lighting
The lighting was incredible as the sun passed through the mist churned up by waves against the pier. Everything had a deep orange glow except the reaches of the water itself, which exhibited this dark blue/grey sheen as it was pulled into the sand.Equipment
I shot this in panoramic mode with my iPhone XS. I shoot quite a bit of my photos with the iPhone because it allows me to focus on the moment instead of scrambling around pulling equipment together. Plus, it allows me to become a bit more spontaneous with my adventures, and thus, photos.Inspiration
The interesting thing about this photo is that I was wearing a set of noise-canceling headphones while taking it. Together with about 250 other people (all who scattered in their own respective directions) we were wirelessly Bluetoothed into a gentleman that was playing piano on the beach. The combination of the solitude, the beauty of the sunset, and the ambient tones of the piano created an incredible mood which inspired me to take this photo!Editing
The only post-processing I did was on my phone itself. I have Lightroom on my phone and normally I use it immediately after taking a shot that I deem worthy. There was a bit of haze floating above the water which I gently removed to crisp up the silhouette of the pier in the distance. Besides that, I cropped the pano to better dimensions, brightened up the shadows slightly to give the foreground a bit more character and reveal the details in the water close to my feet, and played with the exposure of the birds a bit. This was all done right there on the beach!In my camera bag
More like my pocket! I have been shooting more and with simply the iPhone and the Lightroom app. However, many of my earlier photos were done using a Canon EOS M6 with a 35mm prime lens and a variable ND filter.Feedback
Absolutely… Take as many photos as you can! Recognize that only 1 in 100 will be something worth sharing, but also try not to over-fixate on hitting on that one. Enjoy the process and try and capture a mood that you can describe in words first...then click open the camera app and shoot with intent!
