Thursday, August 21, 2008

Picture no. 14: “Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset ...”

Follow the Rule of Thirds when shooting pictures of the sun.

A lot of you may be familiar with the Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof” from which the song “Sunrise, Sunset” came from. The chorus of the song goes like this:

Sunrise, sunset,
Sunrise, sunset,
swiftly fly the years,
one season following another,
laden with happiness
and tears.
Wikipedia summarizes Fiddler’s history, distinctions and awards:
The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, was the first musical to surpass the 3,000 performance mark, and it held the record for longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. The production earned $1,574 for every dollar invested in it.

The show was highly acclaimed and nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned four Broadway revivals, a successful 1971 film adaptation, and has enjoyed enduring international popularity. It is also a very popular choice for school and community productions.
I took this picture sometime in 1989. I purposely framed the setting sun between the metal frames of a water tank in the foreground and the antennas in the background. Because I focused on the sun itself, the metal frames on the foreground became out of focus. Please remember that when taking pictures of the sun, do not place it dead center. Follow what is known as the “Rule of Thirds”. Please surf to my Campus Connection blog to know what this rule is all about.

When used as the inspiration for an essay, the setting sun usually evokes emotions of loneliness or serenity.