An evening hike out to see the Nuns up close for sunset.
We arrived to this location with plenty of time to spare and setup and find a decent composition. I had never seen this area photographed much before so we had no idea what to expect once we arrived to the location. I had 2 or 3 spots with decent foreground elements. Once I had setup my shot, I was relaxing and waiting for the best light. But for some reason I was bored and decided to have a look around the area for potentially a different composition. After a good 15 minutes I found this amazing old tree with a perfect gap that can wrap around and frame the Nuns.
I propped my tripod and camera only inches away from the foreground tree branch and started firing shots away during the golden light. The light looked amazing during the golden hour, and sunset was looking like it would light up the sky in a fiery cotton candy pink hue. This is a focus stack of about 5 shots and one -2 EV exposure to bring the details back from the sky.
This is the result of really taking your time to find the best and most unique shot for a location not photographed very much. And I am proud to say that this is one of my favorite shots of all time. The balance from the tree frame and even though I didn't get the burning sky I still love how complete the image is with the golden light and the way the light hits the tree branch. It's just so unique for me to capture a shot like this under good light and from a spot I've never seen before.
Shot with the Laowa 15mm f/2.
The Nuns
Sedona, AZ