sunsets

Diving into the Spotlight: My Photography exhibited at photoSCHWEIZ 25

One of my Lebanese travel images is currently being exhibited in the Kongresshaus Zürich in Switzerland. My photograph, ‘Beirut Sunset Dive’, has been selected for the Directors Choice Project at photoSCHWEIZ 25. This is one of Switzerland’s biggest photography exhibitions, and it’s great to see my work featured among a strong lineup of international photographers.

What is the Directors Choice Project?

The Directors Choice Project highlights photographers from international festivals, bringing together a curated selection of images that tell powerful visual stories. My shot, taken in Beirut, the Capital of Lebanon, captures a moment that blends light, movement, and atmosphere, turning a fleeting scene into something timeless.

Beirut Sunset Dive by Geraint Rowland Photography exhibited at photoSCHWEIZ 25

The Story Behind ‘Beirut Sunset Dive’

A few years ago I spent a couple of months in Lebanon, with the majority of the time spent in the Capital Beirut. Beirut is a fascinating and safe city with plenty of photographic opportunities. This image was taken during golden hour on the fascinating Corniche seafront area. The corniche gets busy each afternoon with locals and visitors walking, relaxing and socialising as the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea. On this particular afternoon a group of teenagers were diving off the coastal wall into the Sea below.

To take some images with alternative viewpoints I headed down from the Corniche to the coastline below. For this image I stood on the beach looking up and along the coastline as I captured this young Man mid-air diving into the Sea below. The original shot showed the bigger picture, the sea wall and the rocky coastline which needed to be cleared to safely land in the Sea. The contrast of the silhouetted figure against the golden sky created a perfect minimalist composition. The mix of adventure, tradition, and natural beauty in that moment made it something special. For the final exhibited image, ‘Beirut Sunset Dive' I cropped the image removing the distracting landscape while still leaving a large open space above and around the diver. This left only the silhouetted diver floating mid air against the golden sky with just the communications tower in the distance intersecting the middle of the frame. By cropping the image, I refined the composition, drawing the eye to the lone diver suspended in mid-air. The result is something almost otherworldly—an ethereal blend of light, movement, and stillness that transforms a fleeting moment into something almost dreamlike

I took this photograph with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and their trusty 50mm f/1.4 USM lens. The camera settings used were: ƒ/4.0, 1/640 sec, and a fairly high ISO of 500 to balance the light and freeze the movement. Check out the image and some edits on my Flickr account here. I had a great time in Beirut and the rest of Lebanon, overstaying my visa by a Month or so. I captured some nice images, the ‘Beirut Sunset Dive’ being one of my favourites, I hope to return one day and take a few more.

What’s Next?

photoSCHWEIZ 25 runs from February 7-11, 2025, at the Kongresshaus Zürich, Switzerland, bringing together over 250 photographers from around the world. It’s always good to have my work seen by new audiences, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this image is received.

Check out my latest work at www.geraintrowland.co.uk.

#photoSCHWEIZ25 #GeraintRowlandPhotography #AbstractPhotography #SwissArtExhibitions #ContemporaryPhotography #beirut #lebanon #TheLebanon #sunsets #sunsetphotography #middleeast
#FineArtPhotography #ArtExhibitions2025 #TravelPhotography #PhotographyExhibition #AbstractSeascapes

Sunsets of Senegal by Geraint Rowland Photography

Last year I spent a couple of months in Senegal where I experienced some beautiful sunsets.  I spent the majority of the time in the capital city of Dakar, but also traveled to Lompoul in the north of the country and Zinguinchor in the southern region.  Along with capturing a lot of travel and street photography style shots I also captured some stunning sunsets especially at Yoff beach close to the Airport in Dakar.  Click through the slide show below to view some sunsets from Senegal:

Senegal, like the rest of West Africa I have visited is fantastic for photography.  With so many people around there is always something interesting and or unusual to capture.  Whilst I was in Dakar they were celebrating the Tabaski Festival.  Tabaski is based on Islamic beliefs and culminates with each family sacrificing a sheep and then eating it.  There are sheep everywhere in Dakar, tied up on the roadsides, being washed in the Ocean or being sold at markets.  Here is a previous blog I wrote on the fascinating beach area of Yoff in Dakar.

In Lompoul in the north there are beautiful remote beaches, interesting fishing towns and a small desert with orange sand dunes where you can camp and take camel rides.  To the south lies Ziguinchor, the second largest city of Senegal lying at the mouth of the Casamance river and largely separated from the rest of the country by The Gambia.

Throughout the country I witnessed some beautiful sunsets.  Sunsets always seem to be amongst my most liked photos.  I think there is something instantly enjoyable about an image of the setting sun, it is something that everyone can relate to.  I especially like sunset images that contain an additional element, be it a person or an animal.  My favourite sunset image I capture in Senegal was of a fisherman feeding his two pet Pelicans at Yoff beach.  I love the composition, the lighting and the added comic nature of these peculiar birds.  Whilst in Senegal was travelling without a tripod so had to rely on taking hand held shots or creating abstract images when I ran out of light.  Here is a blog I wrote with some tips about taking sunset photos.

More of my travel photography from Senegal can be found on my website, my Instagram, and my Flickr account.  If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

Down by the Sea, Chorillos, Lima, Peru

Chorrillos is a district of the Lima Province in Peru and part of the city of Lima. It gets its name from the Spanish word for "trickle of water".  Chorillos is located next to Barranco on the coastline of Lima and has several different beach areas facing the pacific ocean.  

'Playa de Pescadores', is a small fishing beach that is full of activity and a very interesting place to spend a few hours, people watch and enjoy the sunset.  On the shoreline you can have fresh ceviche (Peru's national dish consisting of raw fish marinaded in fresh lime juice and chilli).  On the small pier you can have a go at fishing for crab and small fish or take a boat tour around the local coastline of Chorillos and Lima.  From this side of Chorrillos, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the bay of Lima taking in the views of Barranco, Miraflores and beyond.  On a clear day, in the distance you can see La Punta and the San Lorenzo island in the district of Callao.  

Directly next to Playa de Pescadores is a private exclusive beach and sports club called Regatas.  Regatas is one of the most exclusive sports clubs in Lima and attracts the rich and famous Peruvians who go there to exercise, sunbathe and relax.

Around the headland you have the small secluded beach of La Herradura which was a deluxe beach resort in the 19th century.  These days the seafront has several seafood restaurants where you can enjoy traditional Peruvian cuisine and watch the sun go down.  The beach is also home to one of Lima's best surfing spots, La Herradura.  The wave needs a big swell to work properly and has hosted several international surfing competitions.

On the coastal road between the malecon of Chorillos and La Herradura you pass the rocky headland peninsula of El Salto de Fraile.  Here lies an exclusive restaurant with the same name, and a legend of forbidden love that ended tragically.  The tale involves young love which resulted in a pregnancy and the young man being sent to a convent for his sins and made into a friar.  These days at the same spot you can watch locals reenact the tale.  Men from the local Chorillos area dress as Monks and dive off the cliffs into the perilous ocean below.  I have heard rumours that at least one person has died doing this dive.  It’s a fascinating place however and I intend to return in the next few weeks to capture more of their dives.

More of my Lima photography can be found on my website, my Instagram, and my Flickr account. A Spanish translation of this blog can be found here. If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

Abstract Ocean Art Photography by Geraint Rowland

I am a big fan of this kind of abstract artwork, both in paintings and photography itself.  I think I first saw the technique being used by Surf photographer Morgan Maasen.  So, how do you make abstract style photographs?  Producing these abstract photographs is fairly easy, you simply take a photo of the ocean with a long exposure (up to a second or more depending on the light) whilst moving the camera from left to right (or right to left depending on you preference).  It's often a good way to create interesting and often beautiful shots at an often bland location.  In addition it is a technique which doesn't require a tripod, which I often can not be bothered to carry about with me.  Meaning you can still have fun, and produce some nice images while others may be carrying out long exposures with a tripod.  The end result being a painterly type of image often more similar to a painting, or piece of art than that of a photograph.  

An abstract water photo at sunset by Geraint Rowland Photography.

An abstract water photo at sunset by Geraint Rowland Photography.

The same technique can be used for trees, for example in a forest or jungle.  The trick is to move the camera in the same direction as the main lines within the frame.  For example, with the Ocean or Sea you go from left to right, following the horizon and the swell lines.  In a forest or woodland you would move the camera vertically from bottom to top, or top to bottom.  Click through the slideshow below for more examples of abstract ocean photography.  These photos were taken in Peru, England, Spain and West Africa.

I was involved in an 'Emerging Artists Exhibition' in Lima in 2013 in which I exhibited and sold several large abstract ocean art pieces which were printed on to canvas.  They were 1 metre by 1 metre in size and looked excellent hung on the wall.  More examples of my abstract ocean and surf art can be found here on my website.  

My abstract photography can now be bought on Etsy via LindaWisdomPhotoCo. The Red Lima sunset above for example can be purchased here.  My blog on taking abstract ocean images can be read in Spanish here. More of my abstract photography can be found on my website, my Instagram, my Twitter and my Flickr account. If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.