In Search of a Perfect Sunset

Photograph/ Prasad Np

Day two in the finals at Naldehra was a rainy one, but our contestants rather than getting disappointed, decided to make the most of the same. But like all photographers they were hoping for some good sunlight, especially around sunset. Were their wishes granted? Join Prasad Np aka desi Traveler to find out if they got the perfect sunset shot.

As  I mentioned in the earlier post, day two in Naldehra was a rainy one and while we took out the Mercedes-Benz CLAs to more than 30kms towards the banks of Sutlej, the sunlight remained elusive. Whoever said getting landscapes is the easiest form of photography should try going out in the field for a change. Outdoors, even at the most awesome location, you are dependent on weather, road conditions, sunlight and many other elements of nature to get perfect shots. I myself have trekked to top of a mountain to reach early morning, only to be greeted by rain and no sunrise pictures. But that is what outdoor photography is. All your preparations go for a toss if mother nature is not on your side.

As our day progressed we had lost all hope of getting any decent sunlight to click pictures. So after some shots of the cars in the rain, we decided to play tourists and explore Naldehra before going back to the hotel for dinner. Every few kilometers we would stop the car and click pictures of the clouds,  the valley below and cars zooming on the road below. All this while it was constantly raining. At one point we were totally wet and decided to go back to hotel rather than stay on the road. But like I mentioned earlier in outdoor photography mother nature plays an important role and if she is on your side will you get your pictures.

Just as we were heading back to the hotel, we saw a tea stall on a bend and wondered why this guy has this tea stall in the middle of nowhere. So we got down and ordered some tea. As we were sipping tea, cocooned in our car, something dramatic started happening. The clouds in the horizon started moving very fast and emerged the golden orb that provides energy to all life forms on earth, including us photographers. By now it was clear that we were at one of the lesser known sunset points in Naldehra and the smart tea stall owner had built his stall for the tourists who come there to click pictures. But as it was a rainy day there was nobody around except for us and the whole magical sunset belonged to nobody but us.

As the rays of the sun started getting more golden we all took out our cameras on cue from Kevin and as he moved around clicking the Mercedes-Benz CLA, I clicked some of his pictures with the sunset. After we all had clicked to our heart’s desire we all had a smile on our face and Kevin was definitely pleased with the results.  He must have thanked the tea stall 10 times when we were coming back to The Chalets. Just a small observation to stop for tea at a remote turn in the hills led to some magical pictures for Kevin.  Will these pictures be part of his winning portfolio? And whether they impress the judges to make him the winner remains to be seen.

Keep watching this space as I take you to the final day of  Frame the Star face-off in Naldehra Himachal Pradesh.

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Prasad Np is a passionate photographer who enjoys photographing people, wildlife and travel. He is the author of the travel and photography blog called desi Traveler.  You can connect with him on Instagram and on twitter @desiTraveler