Since the last fireworks shoot, I have been wanting to return to the same spot to take a sunset picture. It looks over the city, and from what I could guess, the sun should set to the left of the tallest buildings. Sitting at home during the day, the weather report was looking like clearing skies at around 4pm. With sun setting around 4:30, I was betting on some good clouds to take pictures.
I headed down with all my gear while also getting keen to try using my new GND filters. As I walked along the water, I stopped and set up the camera. The Cokin GND filter system set up was pretty easy and was easy to drop on. The problem I was having was that it started to snow pretty hard, and I was worried the snow would start hitting the filter and leaving droplets. I took a few tests, but then put it away once the snow started getting heavier.
The snow seemed to gray the scene a little (see image above). I threw on a polarizer to see if that would help. When I reviewed the images, they were pretty gray and void of any real depth. Not sure if it was the snow, the polarizer, or the cheap UV filter that was on the camera. I later took both filters off and the snow died down and I got the Old Port – Part Deux image.
The sun set a little more to the left than I had anticipated, but it still gave a good glow over the city. Probably would have been better without the snow, but I think the image turned out pretty cool. After a good series of shots, I packed up and headed home.
All in all, it was a pretty relaxing shoot. The most important thing I noticed was that there was more time to take the shot than I thought. I took a whole bunch of images, but I had a good amount of time where I just stood there waiting for a slight change in the clouds. I should have taken my time a little.
A Few Comments from the Shoot:
- I have to figure out the best way to protect my gear from snow and rain.
- Heavy to medium snowfall can gray out landscape shots when your subject is in the distance.
- You get some awesome light 30min to 1hr after sunset. Best time for city-scapes.
- I need more time, and warmer weather, to try out and master the GND filters.
- New tripod still rocks.
Images from the Shoot:
