The last evening of our February 2024 holiday on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, and my wife Liz and I are in our default location, sitting on our apartment's balcony watching and filming our final sunset over the Atlantic ocean from Taurito on the south coast of the island.
Sunset at this latitude of 28°N is markedly different from what we are used to back home in sunny North Wales at 53°N, which meant I needed to adjust my time lapse shooting technique a little to cope.
For one thing, the sun drops down at a much steeper angle this near to the equator and therefore arrives at the horizon much faster than in Wales, which meant that I had to reduce the time between frames from my usual 'sunset default' of six seconds to four seconds to render the sun's movement at a reasonable rate in the final video.
Also, after sunset, the three stages of twilight (civil, nautical and astronomical - google it) occur much more rapidly than in Wales, which meant I had to adjust the camera's exposure setting more frequently than I was used to.
Leaving the camera alone for a few minutes while getting a coffee wasn't an option, as I had to keep a close eye on my exposure histogram at all times or risk a serious underexposure.
But those are trivial inconveniences compared with the pleasure of sitting out in the warm evening air in my shorts and T shirt while watching a lovely sunset and dusk, wondering what the weather is like back home!
Filename - taurito sunset timelapse 04
Camera - Canon EOS 6DMK2
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 60mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 1/3200 sec @ f/4, ISO100
Exposure (end of sequence) - 1.6 secs @ f/4, ISO100
Filters - 2 stop neutral density graduated filter used at an angle to darken the sky above the sloping cliff face buildings.
Shooting interval - 4 seconds
Location - Taurito, Gran Canaria, The Canary Islands
Music - The Closing Of Summer - Asher Fulero
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K, and 1080p HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 23 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2023 unless otherwise stated.