I've been trying to photograph the Sun setting from underneath the Venice Fishing Pier for the last three years. You might ask why it has taken so long, especially since I live along the Sun Coast in Florida. The sunsets every day, right? However, I've been waiting for the Sun to align itself with the length of the pier, which only happens on a select few days twice a year.
Here's a fun astronomy project - photograph the Sun from the same place and time for a year. You'll see the Sun's position drift along in one direction for about six months and drift back in the opposite direction during the next six months.
With the pier, you have a window of about six to eight days a year to get the shot. I've missed past opportunities due to work, weather, pier construction, or personal commitments. Things were looking great so far for my first attempt this year, and then the weather changed again (sigh). So the first sunset was a bust, so I tried my hand with the 8-Stop Neutral Density Filter. The tide was out, and the surf was lapping at the shore.
Gear
- Olympus O-MD E-M1 II
- M.Zuiko 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II PRO at 75mm
- Tripod - MeFoto Globetrotter
- Tiffen - Variable ND Filter
Settings
- f/5.0 and 8 Seconds at ISO 500
According to the weather report, it was supposed to rain all day the following day. I thought I would have to wait about six months before trying again. Luckily the weather cleared up by the afternoon, and the clouds had mostly disappeared. Despite the highly gusty winds, I decided to risk it; along with a high tide, the waves were about four to six feet.
I am glad I did risk it because I would have missed a fantastic moment of seeing the sunset between the pier's pylons. There was a cloud hanging just above the horizon, so I didn't get to see it set completely. That's okay. There is always another sunset.
Gear
- Olympus O-MD E-M1 II
- M.Zuiko 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II PRO at 75mm
- Tripod - MeFoto Globetrotter
Settings
- f/6.3 and 1/400 at ISO 500
Gear
- Olympus O-MD E-M1 II
- M.Zuiko 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II PRO at 300mm
- Tripod - MeFoto Globetrotter
Settings
- f/6.7 and 1/1250 at ISO 1000
The following Lighting and Edit Details apply to all images:
- Type of light - Sunlight
- No strobes or other modifiers.
Editing
- Lightroom Classic - Basic Edits and Cataloging
- Adobe Camera Raw - Additional Edits
- Aurora HDR- for a final tonal tweak
The whole project reminded me that sometimes we don't always get what we want. We get what we need. I'm over the Moon (the Sun?) with this shoot. I'm thrilled with the results, although I might have to invest in a better tripod. The wind was fierce on the second night and shook the camera a bit. Next time, I will try to bring a model to add another element to the image.