Twilight in Africa Photo

Photographer’s Note

The Zambezi River above the Victoria Falls is a spectacular area of water flowing between palm fringed islands and having the Zambezi National Park along the Zimbabwean right river bank and the Mosi-oa-Tunya Park on the Zambian left bank. As they say in the commercial brochures, no trip to Victoria Falls is complete without a Zambezi River sunset by boat. And I fully agree with the statement.

I always had in my mind that the Angolan sunsets were the most beautiful I have ever seen. Now, after been in Southern Africa I am extended that idea to all that area. Sunsets here are characterised by a very big sun when it arrives at the horizon line. Also, the deep colours are very impressive.

By absolute coincidence, it happened that I witnessed exactly the same sunset, same day, as our fellow TE member Tezic. Please see here his view of the sunset.

In WS1 (Fiery Zambezi Sunset) is another picture of the same sunset about 30 minutes before.

WS2 is a funny picture taken inside our hotel room. Please have a look!

ISO: 400
Focal Length: 255mm

robertosalguero, bostankorkulugu, isabela_sor, cherryripe, PixelTerror, xavshot, lucasgalodoido, aznegrao, Docarmo, MLINES, kevinos, xuaxo, Vato_Law, Zelanda, Clementi, fayeulle, jlbrthnn, josepmarin, Tezic, paura, gildasjan, jhm, Loic_bzh, chrisnet, Photo65Net, Bluejeans, mcenteesalas, Scharan, zeca, leo61, Deepforest, plimrn, riclopes, pasternak, edytungkal, niphredil76, BitterMoon, zetfavor, Charo, cfreire, nazirbadar has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

robertosalguero (2763) 2007-09-29 23:27

Hello Antonio. The streak of light look almost painted on the water. This image is beautiful because of the colours and the elements included in it. The background seem to lack sharpness but is the sun setting and the silhouettes that really catch my attention. Well done Antonio.

Roberto

bostankorkulugu (33508) 2007-09-29 23:35

following your african trip very parallel to the one tezic did is both fun and a double feast to the eye... just commented on his one and surprised to see yours:)... this one is as good as his one too, only with a higher pov -his one was like from a crocodile's eye, lol!-... the soft colour palette is just great...

cheers antonio

korkut

maria (2712) 2007-09-29 23:46

The reflection is terrific! Beautiful colours.
Tfs.
Regards,
Maria

daddo (11277) 2007-09-29 23:51

Hi Antonio. How fortunate to be in such a wonderful place. Brilliant shot. The sun reminds me of molten glass being shaped in some glass blowing factory in the sky. very evocative.The vertical format accommodates the reflection generously, for our enjoyment. Regards. Klaudio.

Zolive (1654) 2007-09-30 0:18

Hi Antonio
great sunset. The light in the river is fantastic.Your picture give us a feeling of calm and tranquility. Congratulations.
Olivier

isabela_sor (42020) 2007-09-30 0:32

Yes, I remember Tezic's sunset too:)Magic of sunset....I love it!!!The colors of sun are so strong and the reflection in water has the this superb red ....You both were so lucky
Hugs
A nice Sunday

P-S-I-G (24482) 2007-09-30 0:45

Hello Antonio,
Very pleasant reflection. Good colours and light.
A beautiful scene taken.
Best regards,
Fabrice

kiwi_explorer (12195) 2007-09-30 0:53

Hi Antonio,
What a fantastic sunset ... the sun is so big. Nice reflections in the water and good choice of vertical format. Wonderfully captured and presented. Well done! tfs and have a nice weekend.
Cheers,
Renier

Valerka (8159) 2007-09-30 1:28

Hi, Antonio,
My compliments for this sun path on the water surface.
I also like the skyline. It gives a desire to hit the road:)
TFS
Nice Sunday
Valerka:)

cherryripe (18869) 2007-09-30 1:50

Hi Antonio
Stunning sunset with such a huge ball creating an amazing reflection. I like the way you have it positionned with just a bit of tree in front to give it interest. The colours are lovely and rich.
Regards
Nikki

PixelTerror (86038) 2007-09-30 2:22

Hi Antonio,
This is sort of African cliche view everybody would like to take back home, add a lion or elephant silhouette and hit the jackpot, this to say that the capture of the moment is priceless, I think a closer crop would work fine as well but like this one.
Have a nice sunday JY

stelli (2941) 2007-09-30 2:41

Amazing sunset with incredible colors! Regards Stella

xavshot (62239) 2007-09-30 3:56

Bonjour Antonio
cette photo m'impressionne par la beauté de ces couleurs et la simplicité de son graphisme. C'est une très belle image et une qualité impeccable. Bravo.
Xavier

hatti52 (12654) 2007-09-30 5:24

Hi Antonio
amazing shot
great composition wiyh wonderful colours
cheers

aznegrao (10230) 2007-09-30 5:29

Ola Antonio!!

Lindo por-do-sol na Zambia, com lindos reflexos. Quanto aos Lençois, trata-se de uma região de dunas e lagoas quase como um deserto, leia mais no meu travelog http://www.trekearth.com/trip.php?tid=1410&display=full

Abraços.
aznegrao.

lucasgalodoido (16583) 2007-09-30 5:43

Olá Antônio!
Gostei muito dessa foto, parece que têm um contorno no sol muito bonito, além do reflexo! Gostei das fotos do WorkShop também, principalmente a do macaquinho!
Parabéns e Abraço!

Docarmo (8814) 2007-09-30 6:16

Olá António,
Esta foto está fantástica! Que solão maravilhoso, com aquelas silhuetas e os reflexos. Excelente DOF.
Gostei também dos WS :-)
Parabéns!
Maria do Carmo

leonorkuhn (13513) 2007-09-30 7:00

Olá Antonio,

Excelente composição. É realmente curioso não ver os raios de sol se espalhando por todo o céu, apenas esta enorme - e linda - bola alaranjada, contrastando com o céu cinzento ao redor. Belas silhuetas das palmeiras e ótimo reflexo na água.

Uma boa semana para você
Leonor

MLINES (10852) 2007-09-30 7:32

Hi Antonio. I like this African sunset. Good choice of cropping technique and frame enhances this image. Excellent photo. TFS. Murray.

rminkow (1566) 2007-09-30 7:40

Hi Antonio..very nicely composed shot.

Roger

sothy81 (8518) 2007-09-30 7:52

Hi Antonio,

This is an amazing photo you have of the sunset. Very beautiful colors. THe reflection on the water is superb. Very sharp and very nice light. Vertical view is the best choice you did, allowing detail view of the reflection. Very well done.

Sothy

kevinos (6927) 2007-09-30 8:07

An amazing and powerful image, Antonio. The color is wonderful do the composition is so simple but so effective. It reminds me of a Japanese woodcut. regards Kevin

xuaxo (5683) 2007-09-30 8:27

Olá António,
Cá estão os esperados pores-do-sol africanos!
Será que o pequeno halo avermelhado tem a ver com o banho da câmara?
De qualquer modo está magnífico, tal como o(s) WS. Mas, imagino que ao vivo fará um diferença enorme, como é natural.
Um abraço
F

Vato_Law (11660) 2007-09-30 12:02

Olá António,
um daqueles que só mesmo em África não? é realmente impressionante e um daqueles espectaculos que por si só valem uma (ou muitas) fotos. É incrível como o astro rei se transforma numa autentica bola de fogo.
A conjugação com o resto do cenário cria uma foto plena de beleza.
Uma daquelas que dificilmente se esquecem.
Um abraço.
Paulo

sebinho342 (18734) 2007-09-30 12:11

Hi Antonio, marvelous sunset on this mythic river, zambezi, you caught such a huge sun here, impressive and how deep is the reflexion in water ... very moody, i love it ... OK there is somewhere a lack of sharpness and i don't know if you moved while shooting or if it's due to the F5.6 setting and a focus more in foreground.
Anyway this is a success for my eyes :)

Zelanda (5692) 2007-09-30 12:27

Hola Antonio,
Qué precioso sol captaste. Una sencilla toma con excelente contraste y bonitos reflejos.
Buen trabajo amigo.
Saludos cordiales
Ros

vincz (19039) 2007-09-30 12:55

Beautiful sunset. The sun itself is superb especially with the tree right in front. The reflection is fantastic. Must have been a great moement!

Clementi (43589) 2007-09-30 15:08

Ciao Antonio,
che fantastico tramonto che ci hai mostrato , bello il riflesso del sole , fantastica la silhouettes creata dagli alberi decisamente una bella atmosfera .
TFS
Giorgio

fayeulle (26543) 2007-09-30 23:30

Hi Antonio
Je connais ce pays et le coucher de soleil y est toujours fascinant.
C'est tres bien vu cette image au télé.
Amicalement
JP

tehanu_f (6874) 2007-10-01 1:18

Hi Antonio,
You and Tezic are so lucky to have witnessed such a glorious view. You were at the same spot at the same time and didn't know that you were TE brothers? )) Your photo is simple but impressive. The sun alone makes the image a stunner. Did you increase the saturation (because the sun & its reflection look a little too red)?
Regards.
Fusun

jlbrthnn (37559) 2007-10-01 5:46

Hello Antonio,
It is a fantastic spectacle. One would say an immense semicolon on the river the colors are superb, cheer, I like much.
Spend a good day
Cordially
Joel

pedroseco (198) 2007-10-01 7:55

Ola Antonio!

Que espectáculo de sol! Acho que não tinha ainda apreciado uma foto com um sol com estas cores que são excepcionais! Quase como que um quadro, uma pintura. O reflexo da luz do sol na água é também fenomenal, constante e com um enquadramento muito bom na imagem.
1abraço,
Pedro

josepmarin (33769) 2007-10-01 8:11

Olá António,
el tamaño del sol en este crepúsculo es realmente espectacular gracias a la focal larga, y da un resultado muy bonito. Además, sus tonos naranja y sus reflejos en el agua tranquila son muy bellos, en una imagen muy relajante.
El WS1 es my bello también, pero el WS2 es muy divertido, por la presencia del mono intruso en tu habitación del hotel, investigando todo lo que enconraba.
Buen trabajo, amigo.
Un saludo,
Josep

trips (1515) 2007-10-01 8:36

Olá António
Já há algum tempo não passava por aqui (leia-se, a sua galeria) e de facto... vale sempre a pena vir ver as "novidades" :-)
Apetece-me perguntar: "isto existe mesmo???" Eu sei que sim. África já está na minha "want list" há muito... tenho de passar à acção!
Um abraço de Lisboa,
Pedro

jurek1951 (25890) 2007-10-01 9:24

Hi Antonio,
This picture is a masterpiece,very nice scenery,great colours and a good composition. The lighting is well done.
Georg

agbonavita (0) 2007-10-01 12:45

Olá antonio,

que bela foto desse rio com o Sol ao fundo. A foto parece desaturada ao retor do sol e seu reflexo, ficou muito bom o resultado. Sua camera continuou funcionando depois de ter tomado um banho? Que sorte e bom resultado mesmo com ela assim.

Abraço
Andre

Tezic (16927) 2007-10-01 12:58

Dear Antonio,
First I'm thank you very much about yr critiques and sharing my photo...
This one is the very good one about the "Zambezi sunset" series also... The orange reflection is perfect... Congratulations...

Ps: by the way, I want to strike up an acquaintance with you during our boat tour. maybe next time.... :)
All the best,
Tezic

paura (38222) 2007-10-01 15:28

Fantástica essa foto, António. Algum pequenos problemas podem ser constatados no contorno do sol, mas não prejudicam o excelente lado artístico da composição.

Paulo

gildasjan (23637) 2007-10-02 3:00

Bonjour Antonio
C'est très esthétique,nous avons l'impression que le soleil est posé sur l'horizon et son reflet est grandiose.
Très beau cliché bien ajusté en lumière.
Bonne journée.
Amicalement
Gildas

prumod (8258) 2007-10-02 3:15

hi antonio...
it's a magnificient shot... lovely colors and contrast... the sun is amazing.,.. sharpness made some problems to the edges of sun...
greetings...

jhm (82185) 2007-10-02 4:02

Hello Antonio,

We see here a wonderful painting, the reflections and the red ball of the sun are simple fantastic, my compliments. Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
John.

Loic_bzh (7015) 2007-10-02 7:09

Hi Antonio,

nice one! I love the almost b&w look of your pict, contrasting with this orange sun.

Cheers,

Loïc

chrisnet (20354) 2007-10-02 9:45

Hello Antonio,
Very nice capture of this wonderful sunset, I like much the reflection in the water, fantastic work.
Regards
Christian

Photo65Net (43084) 2007-10-02 10:29

Antonio,
A superb painting like sunset picture.
The sun is so enhanced by the grey other parts... Beautiful,
Regards,
JB.

stego (22350) 2007-10-02 10:55

Olá António,
Realmente há lugares em que os pôres-do-sol são ainda mais fantásticos do que é comum, e este será certamente um deles, a avaliar pela foto. Nem sei que dizer... está divimal!
TFS, Um abraço, José

Bluejeans (31993) 2007-10-02 12:45

Oi amigo,
Ficou fantastico , 5 estrelas amigo , um pôr do sol africano , parabens!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

mcenteesalas (1612) 2007-10-02 13:42

WOW, mas que foto esta, well done sr Antonio, luz espectacular e o sol ficou mesmo lindo, usou tripe?, como o senhor ja disse, Africa e um pais maravilhoso para fotografar pores do sol, obrigado por mostrar e ate mais, Salas

devimeuxbe (55847) 2007-10-02 13:44

Hi Antonio
The color of the sun is beautifull and you have a very beautifull reflection in the water.
Typical from Africa.
Well done
Bertrand

Scharan (13951) 2007-10-02 14:41

Olá Antonio

Linda imagem onde o sol e o seu reflexo se destacam de uma maneira fantástica!
Amei esta foto, linda Antonio, parabéns.
GA
Vera

AiresSantos (41820) 2007-10-02 23:21

Ola Amigo Antonio,
Magnifica imagem de por do sol. Os reflexos e as cores estao admiraveis. Excelente controlo da luz
Um abraço
Aires

Giorgio (8662) 2007-10-02 23:45

- What beautiful sunset with amazing color and light, it's an advertising bill which say you "Visit Africa", in any case, cheers!
giorgio

leo61 (43205) 2007-10-02 23:54

Hi Antonio!
A wonderful image with a nice peaceful atmosphere.Colors are wonderful and the sun`s reflection looks great.
Regards,Leo

siolaw (25720) 2007-10-03 0:08

Hola Antonio,
A nice unset picture, with special reflection in the water... it has captured the essence of Africa.. the framing and compo are good with not much sky, and nice silhouettes of the vegetation
'TFS
Laurent

barrufeto_77 (25687) 2007-10-03 0:31

Hi Antonio.

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Colours, reflection...all amazing.

What more can I say? Nothing, everybody has told you in the notes...

My compliments

Rgs, Oscar

marietom (31796) 2007-10-03 1:48

Hi Antonio,

Ton image me rappelle des souvenirs !
Jolie compo et belles couleurs.
Marie

dilane (10226) 2007-10-03 2:50

Où est caché le souffleur de verre ? On a vraiment l'impression d'une bulle que l'on est en train de fabriquer, quel bel astre que nous avons là. C'est un très beau moment que tu as dû vivre. J'ai vécu cela au Bostwana, on ne peut pas oublier. Très belle photo -
bonne journée
daniel

archimatica (13222) 2007-10-03 13:53

Hi, Antonio.
P E R F E C T!

Bravo, complimenti
Renzo

zeca (20026) 2007-10-03 18:16

Antônio, que foto bonita! Este enorme céu está lindíssimo! Uma pena que ele torrou a árvore que poderia ter uma silhueta. Todavia a imagem em si é muito bonita mesmo!
Abraços,
Zeca
volto!

Deepforest (8813) 2007-10-05 0:29

Hi Antonio,
I agree with you absolutely: sunsets on the Zambezi river are inimitable! So I did the Zambezi sunset cruise the second time (the first I did last year)... The cruise give you a chance to be closer to the nature... It was fantastic experience.
About this photo: great capture, well composed with nice for eyes symmetry, beautiful colours... I enjoy it, especially that it evokes my remembrances from Zimbabwe and Zambia...
Best regards,
Andrzej

plimrn (19596) 2007-10-05 12:35

Ola Antonio,
That sun with its path of gold is a stunning sight.
You did amazingingly well on this whole trip; especially knowing that your camera didn't focus!! It is interesting how a flashy picture like this attracts so much more interest that your wonderful prior trio of the falls (Which I thought were amazing even before I knew about your mishap)

That monkey shot is hysterical; he looks like he's
ready to make a cup of coffee and the other suset is great as well, it just pales compared to this one. It really sounds like you and your wife had a dream trip.
SAA, Pat

riclopes (32951) 2007-10-05 21:01

O macaco estava a enrolar uma ganza, ou a roubar as tuas? Ainda fumas disso com essa idade? :)))))))))))))))) Esta' um espectaculo este por do sol. Grande foto aproximada e de composicao central. A outra tambem esta bonita mas e mais normal de ver. Essa de estarem a ver o mesmo por do sol esta engracado...
ricardo

crisnique (857) 2007-10-06 2:36

Ciao Antonio,
What an AMAZING shot here! Simple, but very effective composition with the a perfect reflection! Bravo!!!
Cristian

chc (1468) 2007-10-08 4:37

This may be classical, but I'm always pleased to see such a spectacle. Well done,
christophe

vinicio (22322) 2007-10-09 10:40

Excellent capture of the sunset, colors are wonderful, well done.
Your picture have great qualities, I much like the tree in strong backlight breaking the sphere and the nice reflection on the water, compliments Antonio.
Ciao
Vinicio

Angshu (33533) 2007-10-09 20:48

Hello Antonio
The column of the sun's reflection in the water is awesome. The sun itself is superb especially with the tree right in front. With the soft tones surrounding it, the red ball really stands out. Great shot!
Regards
Angshu

rmcfa63 (358) 2007-10-17 14:06

De facto, é uma paisagem lindíssima esta... uma luz única, um ambiente que só é possível imaginar depois de lá se ter estado.

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-10-18 5:07

Hi Antonio, a very good african sunset!
i like a lot the big ball of fire and the tones of the image...
good one!
ciao!
Valeria

ndb1958 (9248) 2007-10-18 10:01

Hi Antonio,
what an amazing sunset. It's just the right moment you got it. Colours are amazing and the silhouettes against the sun are nice. The reflection on the surface of the water is beautiful.
Best wishes,
Nino

pasternak (13208) 2007-11-07 5:35

Hi Antonio, this is really amazing, looks like a scene from Lion King or something like that, the sun is so huge! And nicely chosen vertical framing to underline the sunpath on the water. Very good!

Cheers
Alexander

trekks (14262) 2007-11-09 9:41

Hi Antonio

One of the fine capture of sunset that I ever see, lovely shot!

TFS, cheers
bill

fryz (1727) 2007-11-13 13:47

an another wonderfull sunrise and composition
good job Antonio
Vincent

edytungkal (4519) 2007-12-12 18:06

A nice sunset moment with outstanding sun ball and the colours on water just make it more beautiful. Just noticed a little bit noisy on bg maybe because of resize or using the higher iso. I always love to see the sunset colours, thanks for share it Antonio..

daniel

BitterMoon (2776) 2008-04-27 1:10

Hello Antonio

This one is really beautiful.The "fire ball" and his reflection,the red line on the Zambezi river it`s so superb,managing the exposure to have a perfect circle of the sun.That`s beautiful.

My kind regards

PS:The monkey from the WS...:-)))...so funny

Charo (31665) 2008-06-24 12:11

Hola Antonio,
Una imagen bellísima, parece un cuadro que tengo en mi casa pintado por mi hija. Preciosa toma con un reflejo magnífico y un sol impresionante. Felicitaciones amigo.
Cordialmente
Charo

Crosman (113) 2008-07-02 8:04

Breathtakingly beautiful.

picardo (2286) 2008-07-04 19:54

Hi Antonio,
Beautiful colors and a great mood. Very peaceful picture.
TFS
Picardo

patpite (85) 2008-10-15 12:16

Amazing sunset!! :O

Cheers,
Patricia.

cfreire (11647) 2008-11-01 8:07

Oi, Antônio
Obrigada por indicar-me esta foto sobre este sunset na África. As cores estão forte e intensas, mas, sei que não é muito educado dizer isto, pode parecer um pouco de vaidade ou pedantismo, mas, por favor não fique chateado. Eu achei a minha foto mais bonita ...:-))). Agora, por meio de sua foto, eu percebo um detalhe muito interessante: as características das cores do sol e do céu são similares àquelas que estão na minha foto, a qual foi tirada no nordeste brasileiro. Mesmo com uma boa diferença de tempo, ou seja, a sua foi feita no mês de agosto, e a minha, no início do mês de outubro, e assim mesmo, as situações são parecidas. Achei este detalhe muito surpreendente. Bom fim de semana. Abraço, Consuelo

CLAP (624) 2008-11-09 2:02

Classique, mais toujours très beau les couchers de soleil africains.
Claude

marcdemoulin (1492) 2008-11-11 12:02

A classic but it works so well!! Wonderful Antonio! Well done.
Marc

cagla (2112) 2009-01-11 16:31

Hi Antonio, this is really a wonderful sunset. It is like a big rolling fire ball. The balance in your photo, the colors, exposure and the composition are great. Congrats.
Çağla.

foozi (4689) 2009-06-03 21:34

Hi Antonio,
this is a speechless shot to critique. To me it is simply bresthtaking with beauty and well calculated moment of shot.
Wonderful piece...what atreasure in photgraphy and what a joy to have produced such an excellent satisfying shot.

regards,
Foozi

nazirbadar (219) 2009-07-25 2:58

Great scenery shot.colors have come out so nicely.reflection is amazing.very nice image.work of a great artist.
Regards
Nazir

mafegan (4107) 2009-09-16 4:00

Hello Antonio
Absolutely brilliant sunset. A big ball of fire contrasting with the silhouetted palm trees. A sight to behold I am sure. Tfs, Marlene