The Summer and Winter Solstice can be fantastic photo opportunities. Not just for that moment when the sun rises above the horizon, but also to witness the colourful people as they celebrate and gather for these events.
One of the best known gathering happens at Stonehenge, this English Heritage site attracts people from around the world to see the sun rise.
December the 21st marks the Winter Solstice and as ever you can never trust the British weather, so as the crowds, press, photographers and clouds gather there’s little you can do except take a few snaps and enjoy the atmosphere.
How to capture the Winter Solstice whatever the weather
- Set your camera to manual exposure mode
- Set the white balance manually, flip through the options to check which looks best for the lighting conditions
- Open the aperture to let as much light into the camera as possible
- Use a standard zoom lens, 24-70mm
- Set the shutter speed to between 1/60 – 1/100
- Set the ISO to auto
This is a rough guide, but when you want to take in the sites as well as capture a few images, fixing the camera’s settings will ensure that you get some creative control over the shots and the pictures you want. It’s worth rechecking the settings every 10 minutes or so as the light changes.
Carol Kirkwood manages to present the weather despite the music and dancing in the background
A Hasselblad spotted at the Winter Solstice
