If I could only photograph one thing I think it would be sunsets. Whether at the beach, on a mountain or the wide open prairie. This time of day has a certain quality that elevates it, at least for me, from other times of the day. In fact, I don't mind winter because the sunsets come earlier!
As a photographer, I also like using filters at sunset. Especially if there is movement to accompany. The trick is to slow the shutter down just enough to cause the sort of effect you are looking for. The slower the shutter speed, the more movement there will be. This shot has a 1/2 a second shutter. I was looking to capture the shore break at its peak march up the beach before it recedes. Anything more than 1/2 second will begin to lose all of the texture of the water. Which can be cool too. But not what I was looking for here. A longer shutter time could also blur the clouds more which can be a very different effect.
Ive slowly, collected a set of filters over the past few years. They aren't cheap, of course. I have a full set of Neutral Density that basically knock it down by a 1/2, 1, 3, 5 and 10 stops. I also have a few gradient versions. Which is what I used here to achieve 3 stops down in the sky while allowing all light in the bottom quarter of the image.
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