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"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear,
but forgetting where you heard it."
-Laurence J. Peter
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"Read not to contradict and confute,
nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."
-Francis Bacon
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Ever since I took up my old hobby, photography, again, there has been a daily time of restlessness for me. When the
sun starts to come near the end of itīs daily cycle, I start looking for interesting clouds, colours and shapes in the west.
The thing is, many objects and landscapes look their best in soft light. And the so-called "golden hours", the times at the
beginning and at the end of the day, are the best times to catch things in soft light. And not only that, but many sunrises
and sunsets also offer photographers the added bonus of interesting colours in the sky. At sunrise and sunset, skies can
sometimes be quite spectacular.
Why are interesting objects so important, especially at the end of the day? Well, take a tree, for instance.
A picture of a tree can be nice, but with simply a blue or cloudy
sky behind and above it, a photo taken of a tree can be bland or even quite dull. Now imagine that same tree with a sky
thatīs absolutely on fire with deep, rich colours. Can you see it? Isnīt that a lot more exciting than a simple shot during
the day, with a simple sky?
Now, the trick is finding something that will make a nice silhouette against a sky with a sunset. You want to check whether
such an object is really in the same direction as your sunset or sunrise will be. And whether it has an interesting shape.
And you have to find these interesting objects before the sunset starts. Because if you have to do it once it has started,
it will be a race against time - which you will often loose. The light just changes too quickly.
Shooting sunsets is a pursuit that gives every landscape photographer a sort of daily itch.
And thatīs because heīs continually looking for that very elusive shot of The Perfect Sunset,
that Holy Grail of sunset shooters.
There are only two ways to get rid of that daily restlessness, as far as I can see.
You can finally find that perfect sunset and capture it perfectly, relax,
and concentrate on other things after that. Or you can give up on perfect sunsets altogether and
shoot other subjects.
I have found the latter to be the easiest solution. I do get that itch again, sometimes, especially when I see other peopleīs
captures of perfect sunsets, but on the whole I am able to relax more now. It doesn't mean that I don't shoot any sunsets
at all anymore. But I suppress the urge to do so a bit more than in the past.
Just as well, too, because now I seem to see more different photographic subjects all around me than before!
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Disclaimer
This column is only for the purpose of entertaining, educating or
giving food for thought. Any persons, characters, countries, institutions or groups
mentioned are - as a matter of principle - fictional: any resemblance to existing ones is
purely by chance. ;-)
If the content of this column offends anyone, please accept the
columnist's apologies: no offense was intended.
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column noun
1a: a vertical arrangement of items on a page
b: a vertical section of a printed page
c: an accumulation arranged vertically
d: a department or feature (as of humor, sports,
literary reviewing, or gossip) in a newspaper or periodical, under a permanent
title and generally reflecting the writer's individual tastes and point of view.
2: a supporting pillar
3: a form, structure, or formation shaped like a column
(Webster's Dictionary.)
 
National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures
 
Western Landscaping
Night and Low-Light Photography: A Complete Guide
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera
Relevant reads:
BOEKVERWIJZINGEN
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