PhotoStory: Scottish Sunset - Fire in the Sky...
...and the importance of timing.
Timing .. is everything, and unfortunately in this instance my timing was garbage. Sometimes its down to bad luck, sometimes inexperience, but the worse ones are due to simple inattentiveness and laziness. I think this time it was simple bad luck. I was planning a sunset shot in an area of the park in Edinburgh affectionately nicknamed by local photographers as the 'magic corner'. I'm not sure why but has something to do with it being on a turn in the road that brings you out to a beautiful view of the city.
Anyway, as I was driving there I could see the shot I wanted. The clouds were heavy but in a kind of foggy way which didn't block out the sun but acted as a natural filter that caused the sun to look like a beautiful orange ball in the sky and lit up the whole sky around it. To my dismay, the sun was dropping fast and as I was walking (running like an idiot) to my chosen spot the sun started to drop under a denser layer of cloud obscuring it.
And so I caught only the last bit of sun before it disappeared.
The language I was using would have made a sailor blush. You know how when you are in a hurry everything seems to go wrong? As I got to my location and started setting up I was rushing so badly that i was getting clumsy, dropping stuff, not connecting things correctly.. mothers were covering their children's ears and hastily passing by me with venom in their eyes as they looked at me.
At this point the moment was lost and the shot I wanted to capture was gone forever. I was annoyed, but there was no longer any need to rush so I considered my options and dialled in my settings for another shot I wanted to try that took in a bit more of the landscape. Since the sun was dropping further that firey glow in the sky was starting to dissipate so I couldn't screw around and needed to get the shot. Once again .. timing is everything, if you miss your window for the shot, that's it.. its gone. Every moment in time is unique and precious and if you missed it, you will only ever see it again in your memories. Which is all well and good, but you can't share those without something like a photo or video.
So here, my final shot capturing Holyrood park, and a part of the city of Edinburgh with that glorious post sunset glow that the foggy clouds helped to create. I can still see the big orange ball that was originally there, and I still wish I had left the house 10 minutes earlier, but I don't dwell on it. I just try to make sure I don't miss the next opportunity (..and I try to swear less when things go wrong.. THAT is harder).
Thanks for Looking.
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