Stefan Official
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 p.1 #1 · Where the Light Breaks the Storm | |
The next photo I’m about to show was unplanned.
As soon as I saw the sunlight breaking through, I stopped immediately and ran straight down to the shore. I was so excited I almost slipped.
Luckily, the polarizer, ND filter, and the 16 mm for these wide shots were already on the camera. Then it was all about quickly finding leading lines along the shoreline. The rocks and the small water channels in the foreground pull towards the mountain and guide the eye. The illuminated mountain becomes the anchor, the point everything flows into.
I adjusted the polarizer so the water in the foreground loses some of its reflection, but not too much. The reflections should remain, otherwise it looks unnatural. At the same time, this makes the view clearer, enhances colors, and adds more structure to the clouds.
The reason for this is that part of the light gets reflected by tiny water droplets and particles in the air. This scattered light acts like a subtle veil, especially in the distance. You probably know the effect: when you stand on a mountain and look far into the distance, everything becomes brighter, contrast drops, and colors fade. The polarizer can reduce exactly this part, so less of that scattered light reaches the camera. The result is clearer air, stronger contrast, and cleaner colors.
The ND8 filter extends the exposure time to about 1/8 second instead of roughly 1/500 second. With image stabilization, this is easy to handle handheld and gives the ocean a softer look. Without it, the water often appears too harsh and frozen.
Since I aim for a fine art look, with subtle nuances in light, color, and contrast, the longer exposure supports a more painterly, refined and elegant impression. The water becomes slightly creamy.
This whole moment lasted maybe five minutes, then everything turned grey again.
The seaweed elements in the foreground add small color accents. It’s similar to painting, except here you work with what nature gives you and consciously integrate it.
The 16 mm creates this strong sense of scale, almost like a cinematic scene, while pulling the viewer down into the foreground. With a standard focal length, this look would be very difficult to achieve, as the foreground wouldn’t play the same role.
With a clear sky, the scene would be beautiful, but also quite ordinary. It is the changing weather and the breaking light that create tension. Light and shadow take control of the image.
That’s how the viewer is guided through the frame.
Without this clear visual language, the image would lose its impact.
Technical Details
📷 Camera: Sony Alpha 7R V
🔭 Lens: Sony 16 mm F1.8 G
🔍 Focal Length: 16 mm
🌞 Aperture: f/8
🌙 ISO: 125
⏳ Exposure: 1/8s (handheld, enabled by in-body stabilization)
🔲 Filters: ND8 + CPL (Kase Magnetic System)
 Where the Light Breaks the Storm by Stefan Zimmermann Official, auf Flickr
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