Moment of Clarity

A day of sea mist and low cloud, obscuring and filtering the sun at dawn, ended up windy, clear and effervescent with strong colours at sundown.

Aldwick Bay

Nikon D810, 14-24mm f2.8 Nikkor at 14mm, 1/100 second, f13, ISO 64, tripod

17.32, 22nd January 2016

As well as two dominant and complimentary hues providing coral/cerulean colour counterpoint, low tide, soaking wet sands from some late squally rains and an obliging shape dynamic in the cloudscape all came together for this shot. I have to admit, including people in my landscape images is neither routine nor a preference but, on this occasion, the man in the trench coat, very obligingly, stood motionless for me as he watched the sun go down.

If you are aiming for sharpness in a shot, then atmospheric humidity is a killer for landscape photography. If you’re after a soft, moody, misty image, it’s fine obviously - but for occasions when sharpness, depth of field and clarity of image are paramount you need to shoot after a windy rain storm. In this one, the rains and winds have steadily cleared the atmosphere throughout the day and produced the conditions that clarify and sharpen the view all the way to the horizon.