I captured this photograph on August 9 at 8:22 PM in Montreal, at La Coulée Grou Beach.
Montreal is a big city. However, I have found many places free of visual distractions that are ideal for capturing sunrises and sunsets.
From experience, I know that the few minutes around sunset or sunrise can produce gorgeous colours in the surrounding sky.
At this time of year, the air is warmer than the water in the river, creating fine clouds of vapour that can add another dimension to the scene.
Before leaving home, I checked The Photographer’s Ephemeris app to confirm the sunset time, which was 8:11 PM. The weather forecast was favourable, and this location was only an 18-minute drive from home.
On location, I set up my camera on the tripod. I was amazed by the green vegetation on the left and by the unusual cloud in the distance, which looked like a large animal with its mouth open. On the right, the texture and colours of the clouds were equally striking.
At 16mm, my lens could not capture the entire scene; it was simply too vast. Consequently, I decided to capture three overlapping frames to create a panorama. I was also concerned about the scene’s dynamic range, so I did not hesitate to set the camera to bracket three exposures with two-stop increments between each frame. This would allow me to capture the full range of tones. In post-processing, I planned to merge the frames in Lightroom to create an HDR panorama.
Behind the camera, the scene continued to evolve. Eleven minutes after sunset, the pink colours on the right had become particularly beautiful, so I triggered the shutter and began the process.
Once again, careful planning and familiarity with my gear paid off.
