Sunset Bokeh

At Toguchi Beach, I wanted to capture the water not as a backdrop but as the very subject itself. By lowering myself almost to the surface and locking focus on the near-field detail of a single rise of water, the sun above dissolved into a soft, glowing sphere of bokeh, merging seamlessly with the pastel hues of sunset. The ocean took on the appearance of molten glass, its ripples glinting with fleeting points of reflected light. For me, this image speaks to the intimacy of being at eye level with the sea—of letting it dominate the frame rather than playing a supporting role. It becomes not just a seascape but a portrait of movement and light.

Technically, this effect hinged on using the Zeiss Planar 21mm f2.8 behind the Aquatech 8-inch dome port. The wide aperture allowed me to isolate the foreground ripples and surrender the rest to a dreamlike blur, while the Canon EOS 5DSr’s resolution preserved the finest textures in the water’s surface. Timing was everything—the sun needed to be low enough to flare into an orb, but high enough to cast fire into the sea. As I floated there, housing steady against the rise and fall of the waves, I felt a quiet moment of alignment: the ocean, the light, and the lens all working together to transform something as familiar as a sunset into something personal and abstract.