Project 46: Choosing the Moment

I chose to do this project over 3 nights, and didn't plan an exact subject but went down to the beach at Doonfoot near Ayr. I have photographed a number of sunsets at this location and I included one such image in my second assignment. I had no clear subject in mind, other than to capture the fading light and "choose the moment". Although this was a slight crossover with project 47 - Twilight, I wanted to capture a number of images in the hour before sunset, using the light as a key mood ingredient. I felt this was close to the brief, and also a learning exercise for me. On each night, the light took on a different colour, and the grand finale on the 3rd night was a bright red sunset behind Arran. The richest photo of the sunset was moments before it went down. I also liked the one earlier on, where there was still a heat haze, as this added to the warmth of the image. As with the project on low sun, one needs to move fast as the sun starts to get below the horizon, as it changes by the minute.

What was also interesting was the patterns in the reflections in the water, and I positioned myself to capture those. On the last night, the orange sunset was reflected in the windows of the houses facing the beach - they looked as though they were on fire. Although a much less dramatic image, I felt it had interest because of the burning houses effect. I also attempted a panning shot of the birds and an abstract panning shot of the scene. None of the images in this project were taken with a tripod, as they were all exposed for the sky reducing the rest of the scene to a silhouette.

The key learning point from this project was to keep an open mind, and I ended up with images that I did not plan for. In particular, I liked the image of my son jumping in the water - it reminded me of a cross between a Lowry (for the stick figures) and Henri Cartier Bresson (the Decisive Moment). I also loved the one of the 2 dogs in the water; one is mine and I don't know where the big guy came from but he just trotted along and lay in the sea at just the right moment. I couldn't have planned for it better! Another shot of my son produced a trick of the light - the exposure conditions were so tricky that the camera produced an ethereal image where his silhouette appears to be radiating light. This was not planned, and the effect came out by accident, but it appeals to me for "interestingness" as they say on flickr.

I enjoyed this project very much and it has re-established some of the momentum for my photography which has taken a bit of a nose dive in the last 2 months. I was also pleased with the variety of the shots that I managed to achieve; part of this was down to luck but I also think going with a open mind and no clear plan helped.

Anyway, here are the fruits of my labours.