Sometimes the best photoshoots don’t start as photoshoots at all. That’s the case with the night of Tuesday June 27th, 2023, where I got some great shots of the Charles River.
My evening began with a lovely dinner at Puritan & CO (which if you go, I cannot highly recommend the Seafood Risotto enough). While I was there, I had my camera on me and noticed how scenic the bar looked. I took a snapshot before getting back to the main focus of the night – the company and the meal.
After that I grabbed a quick bite of Ice Cream at Christina’s in Cambridge. As I was eating it I noticed that the clouds rolling by over head were not only moving fast – but they were big too. Accompanied by the light that was flowing in – I knew this was a recipe for a stunning sunset.
I suggested to my girlfriend that we head to the Charles and she was on-board. We grabbed her car and ran over to the MIT campus – parked and walked to the river and I’m glad that we did. We were treated to an absolutely breath-taking sunset that night. Right after our arrival, the light show began.
Sails
This first image was taken right after the light had pierced the cloud cover behind me and to the right. It illuminated the skyline of the opposite side of the city in a way that only a big orb of fire like the sun could. Bathed in rich orange tones it offered the perfect compliment to the indigo water reflecting the sky above it.
Air Land & Sea
This next image was taken just after the previous one, and you can see how dynamic the sky was behind us. I like the framing and the slightly broken symmetry offered by the perspective lines all leading towards the center anchor point of the far tree at the end. It helps tie the image together.
Towers
This last image was taken towards the far end of the Charles River walk by the Harvard Bridge. The X100V did a great job at letting me lift the shadows without too much noise in it while also retaining all of the rich detail in the sky.
To achieve such dynamic range in Capture One I used a graduated filter based on luminosity to only bring back the shadows as much as I did in the foreground. Leaving the sky untouched.
This is why I’m such a loud spoken advocate for carrying your camera with you everywhere you go. It’s impossible to tell when you’ll be gifted with a stunning sunset or a well decorated restaurant!