This was one of those unexpected moments – cycling down a quiet country lane in Derbyshire just on the edges of the Peak district. When I glanced to my right and saw this low strip of intense orange along the horizon.
The sun was hiding behind that dense cloud, and then I saw those light rays through the gap, casting beams as you can see. There was something really stark about it – the heavy sky above, the silhouetted ridgeline below, and this molten orange seam of light glowing in the middle.
What pulled me in wasn’t just the colour – although the oranges and yellows were striking – it was the graphic structure of the scene. That deep, dark sky acts like a lid, pushing your attention straight into the illuminated gap where all the interest lies. The silhouetted ridgeline acts as a platform at the bottom of the frame, while those light rays spill out with just enough presence to add a bit of drama.
It was a fleeting and powerful composition that only lasted a few minutes.
So I reached for my 200mm lens, zoomed right into those lightrays, and filled the frame.
In Lightroom, I didn’t really have to do much. I spot metered for the bright sky while shooting, which turned the land and cloud cover into silhouette – exactly what I wanted. Back home in Lightroom, I hit the auto button to see where that got me (I love the auto button in Lightroom…but don’t tell anyone!). Then I added a subtle fade using the tone curve. That softened the contrast just enough to keep the colours rich but not overdone. And that was that!
If you’ve had similar moments where you’ve had to act fast to catch the light, or you’ve got thoughts on how you’d have approached this shot differently – drop a comment below. I’d love to hear how others see and photograph scenes like this.
