Sunset Photography in Edinburgh

The developing sunset caught me by surprise as the day had been a grey, dull wash out. I noticed a couple of colourful clouds floating over to where the sun was dipping so a mad dash to head down to Portobello beach, which is only a few roads away from me, to hopefully capture an epic winter sunset. Unfortunately the clouds vanished just as quick as that had arrived and the icy wind was picking up. By this time I was at the spot I wanted to take the photo from so I decided to wait it out to see if the sky would do anything spectacular. Well, it did improve, slightly but certainly nothing extraordinary. I was glad that I stuck it out as the sky was colourful enough to create interest and I captured some nice movement in the sea which was lapping against the steps I was standing above.

It's often too easy to not make the effort to go and create. I find myself making excuses to myself to not go out but I easily forget that if I get an image that is only an addition to being somewhere, physically and mentally. Waiting on the right conditions for a photograph naturally makes you pay attention to the changing scene that is unfolding in front of you. Those times where you allow your busy mind to fade away and focus completely on the developing clouds, the steady rhythmic sounds of the waves or in this case the bright red moon that rose from the horizon can be more rewarding than a photo. Yes it was cold and the scene didn't quite happen but the experience of the solitude and the slowing down was worth it.