During the week long stay in September 2024 that my wife Liz and I enjoyed on the atlantic west coast of County Donegal in the north of the Republic of Ireland I was expecting to see some amazing sunsets.
What with the ever changing weather in this part of the world, and the quality of the light passing through air that had travelled 3,000 miles across the ocean, my hopes were high.
And I wasn't disappointed, choosing stunning coastal location to catch the sunset from almost every evening, except the couple of occasions that it was pouring down that is!
Studying the map of our particular stretch of coast showed me several likely looking locations with a west facing beach and relatively easy access, and Liz and I tried most of then during our stay.
But one of the best, and one I returned to more than once, was our nearest beach at Carrickfinn on the aptly named Wild Atlantic Way, just on the seaward side of Donegal International Airport. (A lot less grand, and a lot more friendly, than the name suggests.)
Carrickfinn beach gives a view out to the west over the Atlantic ocean and the gentle hills of Cruit Island, and it was over the island that the sun was due to set.
So I positioned myself and my camera on a raised sand dune overlooking the beach and Cruit Island and settled down to film and watch the sunset as it developed, with the sun playing hide and seek behind the rolling atlantic clouds, casting sunbeams on the scene below, before finally setting behind the silhouette of Cruit island.
Rather an impressive show, to say the least!
Filename - donegal sunset timelapse 01
Camera - Canon EOS6DMK2
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 50mm
Exposure (start of sequence)- 1/320 sec @ f/4, ISO100
Exposure (end of sequence) - 1/60 sec @ f/4, ISO100
Capture frame rate - 1 frame every 3 seconds.
Filters - 2/3 stop neutral density reverse graduated filter used to darken the sky relative to the land, especially along the horizon.
Location - Carrickfinn Beach, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
Music - Kiss the Sky - Aakash Gandhi
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K and 1080p HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 30 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2024 unless otherwise stated.