This is Oia. It is the small harbor of one of the towns in Santorini, Greece. Santorini is a tourist hotspot. It is famed for the sunsets. People stream in by the hundreds to take photos of the amazing sunsets from the town high up above this harbor and from the harbor itself.
It happens in a mad rush. People arrive in their hysterical throngs and push down the narrow paved street to get a view of the sunset. They extend their arms and hope to get a shot like these but invariably will get a shot of all the other people's heads in front of them. It's comical. And to top it off, the sunsets are very pretty, but nothing mind-blowing. Perhaps the lack of clouds underwhelmed me or it could be the fact that I hail from Joburg with it's epic, cloud-filled sunsets which bounce around off the pollution and smog creating dazzling haze and glorious sunsets. (Sounds weird I know, but they really are breathtaking...) Oia's speciality is a ball of fire descending into the endless sea. Very pretty indeed but uneventful...
I watched the crowds in their mania and chuckled to myself when they moved on the moment the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon. They went off to eat dinner and drink. Why was I chuckling to myself? Because they left as soon as the light was getting beautiful. They had traveled across the world and then come from every town on the island of Santorini to see a sunset that was not very spectacular - if you've ever tried to take a photo of the setting sun, the contrast is almost impossible to capture, you either get everything washed-out and too bright or you get a very nice sun and everything else is black. Knowing this, I didn't even bother to take a photo during the sunset...
But then after the crowds had dispersed the light got more and more beautiful. The photograph above is a panorama of 2 shots stitched together. I did very little to the 'look' of the files. The colours were wonderful and the light gentle and warm.
Next time you are taking sunset pictures, wait till the sun has set and watch the sky turn glorious blues and purples and the earth turn a mellow red. Then take a photo. Book your dinner an hour after the sun has gone down - sunsets are for watching with a lover in your arms after all...
Shot with a Canon 5Dmk2 and the glorious 24-70 2.8 L lens
