Crepuscular Rays Streaming Through a City Park
July 07, 2014
Photographer: Andrew Yee
Summary Author: Andrew Yee
The photo above shows crepuscular rays streaming through Trinity Bellwoods Park, on the west side of Toronto, Ontario. It was taken late in the afternoon of September 27, 2013. The source making the rays visible wasn't dust or water vapor but rather smoke. If you look behind the thick tree trunk near the left edge of the photo at left, you'll notice a barbeque grill pumping out smoke at a neighborhood picnic. The tiny smoke particles scattered the sunlight that filtered through the gaps among the leaves and branches to create shafts of light. Perspective causes the light shafts to look like they're diverging when in fact they're nearly parallel to each other.
Photo details: Top - Camera Model: NIKON D90; Lens: 55.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6; Focal Length: 55mm (35mm equivalent: 82mm); Aperture: f/7.1; Exposure Time: 0.010 s (1/100); ISO equiv: 400; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Macintosh; Insert - Same except: Lens: 17.0-70.0 mm f/2.8-4.5; Focal Length: 34mm (35mm equivalent: 51mm); Exposure Time: 0.020 s (1/50).