This photo was taken a few weeks ago, in mid-July, near the village of Cavaleiro on the Southwest Alentejo coast of Portugal. I spent some time photographing this beautiful coastal area, which has many interesting places, including the centenary lighthouse of Cabo Sardão. I have probably watched the sunset from this location hundreds of times before, and of course, I already have plenty of photos of sunsets. However, every sunset is different, so I asked myself, "why not"?
The afternoon had been quite windy, but I know from experience that even a strong wind often abates around sunset time. Waiting for that period of tranquillity to arrive, I sat down on a nearby rock and simply admired the view. The sun itself became impeded by a layer of dark clouds, but some of the light was able to escape from behind it, illuminating both the ocean and the upper part of the sky.
I much prefer this type of sunset, where there is interplay between the different elements, to the more cliché type, where the sun goes down in a clear sky. This type of light only lasts for a few seconds, so you must work quickly and have everything ready. On this occasion, I had only a manual focus 35mm lens, which on my APSC format camera "sees" as a normal full frame 50mm lens.
This is an angle of view that I like because it does not exaggerate perspective as a wide-angle lens would and does not magnify the subject as a telephoto lens would. Of the several photos I took, this one is my favourite because it shows a simple layering of the various elements, starting with the sea at the bottom, followed by the dark clouds with a hint of the intense sunset colours, and ending in the illuminated arch of wispy clouds above.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor