sunset photography at Madridejos

Having found ourselves one afternoon in Madridejos, a sleepy town in the island of Bantayan in Cebu, we took to Kota Park, famed for its sunset.

Facing Iloilo over the Visayan Sea, at times, the place is not exactly swimmer-friendly because of the whipping current but the beach has a baywalk promenade and a walkway which juts far out from the coast. At the end of the pier, a few hundred meters further into the sea, is a popular lighthouse accessible only by foot. Fortuitously it was low tide during our visit so we were able to walk towards the lighthouse and stake a spot for some sunset photography.


the exposed coastal floor by the lighthouse
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/800s, f/5.6, 24mm, ISO 100


That day, I decided to zero in on one boat.

I first took a wide shot. I saw that far in the deep, the current stirred the sea and shimmered against the late afternoon sun. The interrupted waters presented a fine photographic contrast against the unperturbed and calm horizontally streaked foreground. The boat was an ideal focal point for the composition I wanted.

This was 5:10PM.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2000s, f/5, 95mm, ISO 100, -1.0 EV


Some 40 minutes later, at 5:49PM, the sun finally came down, fast. Using a telephoto lens this time, I zoomed in on the boat. I tried to crisscross the horizon with the mast and the beam of the sail in one single point but this was easier said than done. Still, I achieved the angle I wanted and waited for the sun to drop almost exactly at the spot where I wanted it to be.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 100, -2/3 EV


And as slow and unhurried as the sun was at the time when I was waiting for the sunset, it sank down rapidly when I wanted more.

Not everything can be aligned in photography, but I liked the shots I got. Nothing can really be perfect anyway.