Picture Story
This photo was taken on the SW Alentejo coast of Portugal, near the small village of Cavaleiro, a few kilometres south of Almograve. It was a cold December afternoon, the day after Christmas, and I had spent the day walking the coastal trail in the area.
With the approach of sunset, the light became increasingly warm and golden, hitting the cliffs just the right way. The cliffs here are made up of ancient Paleozoic rocks of yellow, grey, and black colour.
I chose a spot where I could frame a large part of the rock face illuminated by the golden light, plus a few rock spurs extending into the ocean, leading the eye towards the horizon. The wind had abated somewhat, so I could approach the cliff's edge without any danger.
I set up my tripod and camera and used the wide end of my zoom lens. I also wanted to obtain a long exposure effect, to saturate the colours around me, so I used a 10-stop neutral density filter. Then, it was simply a matter of shooting a few frames to capture the different stages of the waves breaking against the rocks below.
I ended up selecting this image because it shows the foam of the sea surrounding the rock spurs, adding a nice contrast against the dominant blues of the sky and ocean. I also like how the contrast between the cliff face already in the shade and the lit-up cliff face adds an interesting depth to the photo.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor