I’ll tell you how the sun rose -
A ribbon at a time.
The steeples swam in amethyst,
The news like squirrels ran
~ Emily Dickinson, The Day
The sun sneaks down behind the hill
When ends another day.
It fills its pockets full of gold
And slowly steals away.
~Thelma Ireland, "Culprit," in Arizona Highways
We were on the road, getting back to our camp after another safari.
The sun was setting to our right, behind the bright green rice fields dotted with shining white egrets. Skies with long streaks of dull white clouds were turning a demure shade of orange which complemented strikingly with the green of the fields.
My friend took out his phone to take a quick snap.
Sunsets ( and sunrises ) do that to us, don't they ?
We never tire of them. Ever.
It could be the simple, timeless beauty of the moment when the skies seem to be in the middle of a moult into a seemingly more permanent hue, that holds us spellbound. Or there could be a deeper mystical meaning of hope that a dawn promises or the quiet that a dusk suggests.
Whatever the reason, whether you are on a beach, in the mountains or on the terrace of a building in a bustling city, if you see the skies turn orange, you stop what you are doing and as the poet suggested, you take a minute to stand and stare.
Out in the wild, this is the best opportunity to get a silhouette. Any subject in a perfect silhouette against a beautiful sky is irresistible. Photographically, once the early admonishment of ‘ Get the four legs distinctly...else your animal will be an unrecognizable blob” was seared in my brain, it became possibly the easiest shot to get.
But I can never resist them. I instinctively reach out for my camera and look for a subject.
Here a few tips on taking pics, especially silhouettes, when there is a heartstopping sunrise/sunset in front of you :
Go low. Let your subject stand clearly against the sky. Else a huge part or the whole of them will be lost against the background.
Wait. The shape should clearly show what the subject is. If its a four legged animal, ideally wait for all four legs to be distinct. You would not want that elephant to look like that pull along toy you had in your childhood.
Underexpose. A little, at least, to get the foreground and the subject in a dark silhouette. It sometimes also helps in adding a little oomph to the skies
Look at the White Balance you would like. I try to avoid going overboard in making the skies do more than what they actually look like. I keep it less than 8000K ...usually around the 6000-6500K mark
And the most important tip :
5. Go out and watch more sunrises and sunsets. Its good for the soul.
I am sharing some of my favorite images below.
May I gently urge you to check these images on a laptop or a desktop screen and not on your phone ?
And ...do let me know...which one do you like the most ?
Nothing can come close to the fiery skies that Africa can throw up !
A group, I am sure rather reluctantly, turning their back to yet another stunning sunset,
as they head back to camp
It might be the simplest of shots, but, boy do they look stunning !
Taken in my first photography trip to Masai Mara
Notice the two cubs watching the mom disappear ?
Taken one memorable evening with Siligi the cheetah with her six cubs
The morning sun also does a tantalising dance with the water.
This was from a joyful morning at Bhuj where I tried to experiment to my heart's content
Day breaks...its a large pride with a lot of cubs. They need a meal today. She has locked her eyes on a buffalo...should they try.... ?
A rather regal looking lioness surveys her realm
You can try to see the sunset through the grass too...looks just as beautiful !
In Amboseli there are places where you can get off the vehicle and lie on the ground
As we were driving back after a wonderful few days at Hornoya, we saw this reindeer grazing in splendid solitude...with the mellow European skies indulgently watching over him
Its not just the skies...the waters can be a splendid companion to a silhouette,
as this evening at Hornoya shows.
An European shag is seen here in possible deep contemplation :)
Glorious skies, dust...and a herd of wildebeest obligingly walking in a straight line
in my first evening at Amboseli
You can turn the world upside down ...that is the magic of a perfect sunset ...
taken one wintry evening in Bharatpur
A group of frisky asses are busy at play in the deserts of the Little Rann of Kutch,
the beauty of the sunset can wait !
Let me end with my personal favorite...it was always a wish to capture a leopard going up or down a tree...the mellow skies in the background were the proverbial icing on the cake !
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