Solstice Sol Sets

Maldives sunset 6

The bad news is that today’s Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. The good news is that you don’t have to wait as long for the gorgeous tropical sunsets. Not that it makes that much difference near the Equator where day lengths don’t vary as much. Nonetheless, this solar milestone seemed a fitting time to share my favourite set of sunset snaps I’ve found throughout the year…

Maldives sunset 1

Maldives sunset 2

Maldives sunset 3

Maldives sunset 4

Maldives sunset 5

Maldives sunset 7

Maldives sunset 8

Maldives sunset 9

Maldives sunset 10

Maldives sunset 11

Maldives sunset 12

Maldives sunset 13

Maldives sunset 15

Maldives sunset 17

Maldives sunset 18

Maldives sunset 19

Maldives sunset 20

Sunday Sunsets

Maldives sunset 7

Easter Sunday is one of the most colourful days of the year with brightly coloured eggs sequestered amongst the spring garden blossoms. The Maldives tends to have more of a tricolour motif – blue, green, white. Until sunset. Then the Maldives explodes with a kaleidoscope of colour.

The sunset is a big event in the Maldives. All the men (it is the gadget guys) abandon their loved ones to their cocktails and grab their SLRs to start shooting. As a result, Instagram and Flickr are awash with an ocean of sunset snaps.

The criteria I use to filter the ordinary from the extraordinary is the following…

  • Colour – Rich, deep, gradient, varied. No black (the sunset equivalent to the “No Sunglasses” Rule). And *multiple* colours…not just a wash of golds. A bit of Photoshop to accent the highlights is okay as long as the image is not saturated like some kids colouring book.
  • Light Play – Not just a glowing orb in the distance, the sun must certainly ignite the clouds in the sky. Also (more frequent oversight) is that the ocean seascape must also be alight with reflected and refracted colours.
  • Maldivian – No “CBA” (ie. “Could Be Anywhere). The shot needs to have some distinctive iconic Maldives bits like a dhoni or sand bar or water villa to give it a destination signature.

Here are a dozen eggs-eptional shots (especially check out Abdulla Didi (#2) who is a bit of a Maldivian sunset specialist)…

  1. Extremely PierreW Retreat [ ABOVE]
  2. Abdulla DidiHithadhoo
    Maldives sunset 14
  3. Luca AugAngaga
    Maldives sunset 13
  4. Infinite ExplorerAnantara Dhigu
    Maldives sunset 12
  5. KandolhuKandolhu
    Maldives sunset 11
  6. Conrad RangaliConrad Rangali
    Maldives sunset 10
  7. Shestak KonstantinSun Island
    Maldives sunset 9
  8. Camila AsenjoDrift Thelu
    Maldives sunset 8
  9. Hussain ZaheenDhigurah
    Maldives sunset 6
  10. Pun PhotosFihalhohi
    Maldives sunset 3
  11. Rid PerspectivesLUX South Ari Atoll
    Maldives sunset 4
  12. Travellers PlanetSix Senses Laamu
    Maldives sunset 1