Missing sunsets... no worries. Slow shutter speeds to the rescue.

Had an amazing time visiting family in Bentota, Sri Lanka for a month and since I lived about 2kms away from the coast, I really wanted to bag a sunset this time around. But the rain and the busy schedule was in my way. But I managed to take few hours off to go and see if there s any hope of a sunset. But the sun was completely blocked up by rain clouds in the horizon. I had two options..  One was to pack up and leave hoping for a better day, and the other was to make the best out of the situation. I took the later...

Here's the situation. This was the tourist off season and the sea was rough and muddy as it can be. Plus in a very flat light situation, the texture of the sea was not highly evident. But the rough sea did have lots of waves in it. I used a crappy tripod (I knew the sea was gonna ruin it anyways) and planted it right on the path of the waves. Then looked for a good composition. Asked my best friend (Saman) to keep an eye for sudden big waves (since I loved my camera) :D... and there I went with very slow shutter speeds for shot. Switched the camera to Bulb mode on my canon and used a wire trigger as well. But had to keep a hand on the tripod to stop it from falling over with the waves. Had to even lift it up and run ashore for some waves here and there :D  .. and here s the result.

One reason in using the bulb mode at these situations is the changing light. The light level at the beginning of the shot may not remain through out the duration and the user has to be able to calculate and guesstimate the amount of light coming in based on the settings.

Once the light completely went out.. decided to get the lights of a hotel  in Bentota (Hotel Lihiniya Surf) on the shore line. Same principle had to be applied this time (no choice).. since the light was so so low. But the blue tone of the dusk light in the sky and the color of the sea complemented each other so nicely. Here s a result of that,

Though I didn't get a good sunset throughout this trip, I am personally quite happy with these two shots mainly since I made the best out of the situation as opposed to heading back home and missing these gorgeous scenes altogether. So, that s what I would like to emphasize in this small article. It s important that you have a rough idea (plan) before heading out for a shoot (may it be landscape or any other subject).. but you should learn to adapt to the situation presented to you at the destination. That's the skill we all should practice.


Akila.