Winter is over in Oman, and during April the temperature starts to rise, steadily approaching and surpassing 40 degrees centigrade. I enjoy camping in the mountains throughout the year; in the winter, it is cold, but the air is crisp, whereas in the summer, it is possible to get a respite from the heat. Thus, one weekend in April I packed my 4WD and headed to the highest mountain range in Oman, Jebel Shams.
At around 2,000 m above sea level, the temperature was a pleasant 25 degrees, dropping to around 18 at night. Jebel Shams is best known for the famous “Grand Canyon of Oman,” a 1,000 m deep canyon that was cut in the mountain over millions of years. The landscape is dominated by rocky outcrops, with the occasional resilient juniper or olive trees.
After setting up my tent and camping gear, I went for a walk, scouting locations for a sunset shoot. A few hundred metres from my camping spot, I saw an interesting tree that I thought might provide a good composition against the backdrop of the mountains and the setting sun. I did a few test shots walking around my chosen subject, using the two lenses I had with me. I use the Fujifilm X system, which is APSC. My 14mm lens corresponds to a 21mm lens in 35mm format parlance, while the 27mm lens corresponds to 40mm. In the end, I chose to use the latter because I wanted a more natural angle of view; the 14mm lens would depict the scene more dramatically, but I was looking to convey the tranquillity of the sunset.
Having decided on composition and lens, I only had to wait for the sun to be low on the horizon. I placed the tree in front of the horizon to enhance the warm colours in the sky. It was a beautiful and peaceful sunset.
