A rare clear sky delivers Lovetsky’s long-awaited sunset shot over St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Associated Press photojournalist Dmitri Lovetsky is based in St. Petersburg, Russia , and has worked for the AP since 2002.

Here’s what Lovetsky had to say about this extraordinary photo:

I like to take photos of sunsets and moonsets from a distance over historic buildings on the ground. The farther the object on the ground is from the photographer’s position, the larger the moon or sun will appear. I’ve long wanted to photograph a sunset with the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Peterhof, a suburb of St. Petersburg.

This required a combination of the right azimuth toward which the sunset occurs and a clear sky near the horizon. To determine my location and time of shooting, I use the TPE app on my phone — The Photographer’s Ephemeris — a precision planning tool that helps photographers visualize the sun, moon, and natural light anywhere on Earth.

For this shot, I realized I needed to be on the other side of the Gulf of Finland at Vasilievsky Island. The distance to the cathedral is 17 kilometers (10.5 miles). I traveled several times to the shooting location, but clouds prevented me from taking the photo. Finally, I succeeded.

I used a Sony 400-800 lens with an X2 converter. The actual focal length was 1340 mm. Program: Manual. ISO:320, Aperture:22, Shutter:1/1000, RAW. Editing in Capture One, about 70% crop.

In my opinion, this photograph works because it concisely combines the earthly and the cosmic in a single image without being overloaded with unnecessary details.

I’m glad I finally managed to take this photo, as good weather in St. Petersburg is rare, but this time all the circumstances were perfect.

See more extraordinary AP photography .