Earlier this week I returned to one of my favourite local photography spots – Tooting Common lake. I've visited a few times recently and have been lucky enough to capture some great sunsets and sunrises.

I set out with a lap of the lake, looking for new vantage points but settled on a tried and tested spot. A woman on a bench in earshot, shared her relationship woes with a friend and how her family are all psychic (righto... 😄). Maybe I should've asked her if there was a good sunset coming?

Once the wittering woman departed, I pressed on setting up my new flexible mini-tripod and waited for the sky to do something exciting. I tried out a portrait orientated composition this time and crossed my fingers for the high clouds to reveal some colours.

My patience eventually paid off. Post-sunset, a short burst of pink briefly (3mins) flashed across the sky, reflecting off the clouds and smoke trails of aeroplanes.

I also tested out some old grad filters I bought years ago, crudely holding them by hand over my super wide angle lens but managing, somehow, to successfully darken the sky.

Learnings from this outing: