The Striped Sky of a Savannah Sunset

by Sean Setters

A week ago, the wispy clouds drew my attention as I walked outside to water my garden plants. With sunset soon approaching, I decided to grab the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, a tripod and a selection of lenses with the hope of catching some sunset and/or blue hour shots in downtown Savannah, GA. I specifically chose the crop sensor 7D II because a) the crop sensor lenses are smaller allowing for a wider range of focal lengths to be carried in a small backpack and b) I didn't necessarily need the benefit of the 5D III's high ISO performance for sunset imagery.

My original plan was to capture a sunset behind a silhouette of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. After heading across the Savannah River to one of my favorite locations for photographing River Street, I realized that scene I had imagined was impossible to capture from the location I had in mind. And, unfortunately, there wasn't another easily accessible location on Hutchinson Island that would provide the angle I needed (without obstructions) to capture the sun behind the bridge. If I had taken the time to research the sun's position in relation to my intended shooting location, I would have realized that my imagined shot was not possible. Regardless, I decided to regroup and see what I could do with the beautiful sunset occurring before my eyes.

As the sun sank just below the horizon, the sky became striped with vibrant colors. Using a couple of cranes and the stacks of a building under construction to anchor the image, I chose a verticle framing and, using the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM and the 7D II set to HDR mode, captured the dramatic skies the sunset had created.

In post processing, I blurred the water in the bottom of the resulting HDR JPEG image to simulate a longer exposure, increased contrast a bit and increased saturation/vibrance to further enhance the colors in the sky.

Sometimes, things work out just as you plan them; other times, they don't. Always be prepared to go with a "plan B" option, even if your backup plan is created completely on the fly. By grabbing your camera and heading out the door when conditions look favorable, you'll likely find yourself with a myriad of options to frame in your viewfinder. And don't forget, having a go-bag ready can make heading out the door that much easier.