Sunsets are always incredible, and having the opportunity to photograph this couple against a sunset in Thailand took the experience from incredible to completely magical. I wanted to include the beautiful colours of the sunset in the background but wanted the image to focus more on the couple and the long tail boat bobbing on the shoreline. To accomplish this I used a shallow depth of field and initially exposed for the sky's ambient light. Then I placed an off camera flash to illuminate the subjects I wanted to highlight. Positioning the couple at the front end of the tail boat allowed me to create a unique perspective and portray a lot of depth within the moment.
The area around Koh Samui was breathtaking. Long tail boats were tethered along the shoreline as they are a very huge part of Thailand's local tourist industry. They are primarily used to transport tourists from place to place around Thailand's coast. However, due to the banning of logging in the area, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain these boats and are slowly becoming unaffordable for locals. I wanted to be able to capture a very important part of the culture of the area in this image. There would not have been nearly as much impact if it had been taken during the middle of the day so being able to shoot at sunset allowed me to create something truly stunning.
Location: Koh Samui, Thailand.