One of the benefits of living in Chigasaki is that I can see Mount Fuji from my bedroom window. As someone who loves to shoot Fuji, this really helps me decide if, when, and where I’m going to shoot on any particular evening. On the afternoon of September 29th, I saw that the clouds were starting to part around Fuji, with quite a bit lingering above. With just enough time to make it to one of my “old reliable” spots, I decided to head out.
I got to my spot, looking towards Enoshima Island with Fuji looming in the background. Set up my camera, took some test shots and waited for the sun to set. The longer I waited the less promising things started to look. The sun set behind the clouds first, then behind the mountains, and light above started to dim. At this point it was around 5:31pm, and with sunset being at 5:29pm, any hint of a worthwhile image looked to be at an end. It was OK, I’d been hurt by the low clouds on the before. I started to pack up my things. First my camera, then my tripod. I crouched down to put my tripod back in its case, and I noticed that the clouds in the sky started to catch a bit of light turning them slightly pink. Just a tease, I thought, I’ve seen this trick before, not enough to set my gear back up because there’s no way that could backfire, right… right?
WRONG. Within a span of a minute the sky absolutely exploded in a way I’d only ever seen in Vancouver. “F**k my dumb a** raw, I’m such a dope” (pardon my colouful language). I quickly set my camera back up. No time for manual focus, the light changes so quickly here, so auto-focus will have to do. I snapped a safety shot, which seemed to be in focus, so set back up for a panorama (what I’d originally come for). “Please one of these turn out, just one, that’s all I need to not hate myself”. The skies changed from pink and purple to a deep orange blaze all in a span of about 5 minutes. I wasn’t 100% confident that a panorama would work out (I’ve been burned by the uneven ground at this location before), so I took a few more single shots to increase the odds of something working out, they have less detail, but I have to take what I can get at this point. As quickly as the show had started, the show faded away… for real this time.
For anyone getting into photography and for those of us who have been doing it for years, this is a reminder to stay longer than you think you need to when shooting sunsets. Even if things look hopeless, stick around until after you think you need to leave, likewise for sunrise, get there early (depending on where you live the time range may change). Light can change instantly and often without warning, and it can vanish just as quickly. This is also a message to new photographers who beat themselves up for making mistakes. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years and I still made a boneheaded mistake that almost cost me a, possibly, once in a lifetime image. Had I just left my gear up for literally 3 minutes longer I wouldn’t have had to panic and rush just to get the few images I did. I got lucky that my camera’s auto-focus system didn’t totally blow it, and the high winds didn’t shake my camera as I was panicking to get a shot, but next time I might not be so lucky.