Yesterday I went out to shoot the sunset. From Google Earth I could see that the sun would set in a gap in the hills that was visible from Kohekohe Church. So I got my gear and climbed over the fence at the back of the church and spent nearly an hour shooting until it was almost dark. It’s a spectacular view as over the ridge are some lakes and very interesting shaped hills. I’ll post some later on..

The wind had come up and it was getting pretty cold so I came back to the car to warm up.

I know from past experience that some of the best shots come from well after the time the sun has gone down, and when I looked at the church I could see that there were some beautiful shots waiting to be had.  Here’s one:

Sunset behind Kohekohe Church (Click for full size)

The initial process with Photomatix was quite good so it did not require much in the way of Photoshop or Topaz. I tried various things but kept coming back to the original image with just some subtle cleanup. The most obvious retouch was lightening the church a little, and some darkening in the corners to help frame the shot.

Compare this with the other Kohekohe Church shot to see how I’ve progressed. Not only are the colours good in this shot but I like the composition. I like the way the front fence comes down and frames the church. In the very centre of the shot you can just make out the Tasman Sea peeking out from behind the hills. Keep going and you’ll get to Australia. Not that you would want to 😉