I couldn’tbe
happierthat
I fo undthis
lo cation on an
unplanned trip
to Induruwa, a
coastal village in the southern
province of Sri Lanka. As soon
as I arrived and saw the
magnificent rock
formation,I knew
what my
composition
was going
to be. The
ultra-wide
le ns I was
using meant
th at I hadto
se t up the
tr ipod afew
fe et intothe
water, butsomehow
I managedto keepit
st eady enoughto takethe
shot I was desperate to get.
achinthadahanayake.com
Chris says: This has all the
elements of a great landscape
photo. The vibrant colours
instantly catch the eye,
especially in that magnificent
sky, and the calming purple
palette complete with the
warming tones offered by the
setting sun work in perfect
harmony throughout. The
resulting backlight creates
a silhouette effect on the
furthest rock formation, with
just the right amount of light
peering through to subtly
emphasise the finer details.
Achintha has used a
combination of exposure
blending and focus stacking
post-processing techniques
in Photoshop to great effect.
The use of a 4sec exposure
on the water means its
appearanceis subtle,
maintainingjustenough
evidenceof movement to help
guide the eye. In contrast,
the impeccably focused
details of the clouds and rock
formations afford them centre
st age privileges within this
minimalist scene.
My feedback is purely
based on a
preference
for more
conventional
framing, but
composition
is a very
subjective
aspect of
photography.
While there are
no definitive rules
onhow photographs
shouldbe framed, there are
certainlyelements to consider.
Although I am an advocate of
photographers experimenting
with their compositions,
choosing to exclude elements
from a scene can have just as
much impact as the features
you chose to retain. Think of
using your compositions as a
way of tempting readers into
your photos. I can’t help but
imagine the two aligned rocks
in the centre as stepping
stones, acting asan invitation
to the viewer toleapin and
ta ke a closer look.Therockin
the bottom rightappearsto be
attempting to escapefromthe
fr ame, searchingfortheplace
it truly belongs,whichI feel
is n’t in this composition.
Regardless, thephotois
st unning and onethatis sure
to inspire our readersto take
a few unplannedtripsof
their own to uncovermore
breathtaking vistas.86 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
SriLankasunsetbyAchinthaDahanayake
The vibrant coloursinstantly catch the
eye, especially in that
magnificent sky
TIP
KEEPYOUR
EQ UIPMENTCLEAN
Tripodsthatcomeinto
contactwithsaltwaterwill
corrodeif they’renot
cleanedimmediately
afteruse.AbovePl acingtherockformationsin thecentreof thescene
offersa moreconventionalcompositionandis an effective way
ofenticingthereaderintotheimage.