PHOTOGRAPHY
A Sunset over the African Savanna
The moment when the time stands still
It just doesn’t get old. Writing about sunsets. And photographs of it remain timeless. Capturing the setting sun. Somewhere in the world. This special time of the day has something magical in it.
It’s peaceful.
Sometimes I even think birds stop singing and breathing. During these few minutes. Everything just turns quiet. To embrace the moment. The tranquillity and the magic of the instant when the sky bursts into a thousand colors.
We had arrived late in the afternoon. After fixing a minor problem on the car and setting up the tent we were sitting under the tree. With a beer in our hands. Feeling the magic of the moment.
Everything turned orange. And red. Even the grass wasn’t green anymore. The grass I was so much talking about. How wonderful it is to see so much green here. In the desert. Or the savanna.
We’re somewhere in between them.
While enjoying this moment so much I couldn’t hesitate. I had to get up and grab my camera. And capture this magic. As long as it’s still alive. A short-lived beauty.
The contrasts were amazing. Between the green grass. The red soil. The brown trees. The blue sky. And the setting sun throwing a burst of colors onto the landscape.
Everything just got painted. In orange. Red. And yellow. What a color festival!
The moment I took the sun in my shot everything turned black. On my photograph. Except for the sun. She was shining in its full power. Just above the horizon.
Changing up my settings again to get everything on film. The full beauty of the twilight. Our camp was the last one towards the open plains. Behind it is just vastness.
The vastness of Africa’s magic. The beauty of the landscape getting a colorful touch. An experience you can’t describe or explain to someone. If they haven’t experienced it themselves.
All of a sudden the sun is rushing towards the horizon. While in the beginning, you think the sun is standing still you can see her moving now. By the second she’s getting closer to the horizon.
Until she hits the mountains. And all of a sudden she isn’t round anymore. The sun. Don’t look away or you’ll miss it. The moment she disappears entirely. You can’t stop her. She’s on a mission now.
The sun has to set just that she can rise somewhere else in the world. At the same time. Because whenever there’s a sunset. There’s a sunrise somewhere too. Those two go together.
It’s been over an hour now. Since the sun disappeared. Behind the mountains. Yet the sky is still bright. In colors. The horizon is still shining from the sun’s last rays for the day.
The birds are done for today. They are sleeping now. While the cicadas are just getting started. With a loud concert, they are drowning any other sounds in the area.
It’s been another lovely day in Africa. Another spectacular sunset in one of the most fascinating places on earth. Letting me experience moments taking my breath away.
It might sound cheesy. My writing. But these are the words jumping in my head while my eyes are focussing on the festival of colors. Sometimes you think it’s unreal. But it’s not.
“Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under.” — C. Joybell C.
More of my sunset stories on Medium…
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Anne Bonfert is a traveler. Photographer. Writer. Teacher. Skydiving instructor. Adventure enthusiast. Nature lover. And fell in love with the African continent.
