On a Friday morning in January 2023, the sky was entirely overcast, and I consulted the weather forecast for that afternoon. It was expected to be partly cloudy. Thinking that the setting sun to the west of the city would illuminate the horizon on the east side, I decided to head to a beautiful park located at the east end of the city of Montreal. I was hoping that, from this spot, the clouds would be coloured and lit by the setting sun.

A half-hour before sunset, I installed my tripod on the river shoreline. I was struck by the contrasts, the several layers of colours, the building, and the lines created by the icy river, the shoreline, and the water. The highlighted building dominates the area. As expected, the clouds were beautifully illuminated. It was windy and very cold -10C (14F). I installed my 10-stop ND filter and performed a 27 sec. exposure. As always, I used my Lifetime feature on my camera to perform a perfect histogram (ETTR).

For me, it is important to have favourite photo sites not far from my house. I live in a big city, and luckily this park is just a 16-minute drive from home. On the other side of the park, a few years ago, I took great shots that are published on my LPM VIP page https://landscapephotographymagazine.com/01/03/2021/ile-a-laigle-montreal-quebec-canada and also a great moonrise https://landscapephotographymagazine.com/17/04/2022/moonrise-montreal-quebec-canada

For me, planning and preparation are very important elements of my photography.