It was an unseasonably warm evening on Halloween weekend and I just had to get out and taken in the suns warmth while enjoying the setting sun. There were some wispy clouds floating across the sky setting up for one of those spectacular sunsets that challenges the beauty of the northern lights. But you just never know what kind of sunset you’ll get so your goal of photographing the beautiful, fleeting colors could end up failing as it often does.
Late in the afternoon I headed out to explore a place I haven’t spent much time at but appeared to hold great promise of beautiful photos. Meandering through a grassy field, swamps, and forest and many distractions to take pictures of (such as the snake in my previous post),I eventually arrived at my destination and settled in. There was still some time before the sun would set so I surveyed my surroundings looking for different possible perspectives to include in my pictures. Closer to sunset a warm golden glow began blanketing the landscape bringing a glorious end to my day.
Enjoying the brilliant golden sky reflecting back at me, the moment I have been waiting for had arrived. The sun was near the horizon and I was in a great position to take it all in with clouds in perfect position to make it a spectacular show. Hold on to see if the anticipation was warranted. Even if it became a bust at this point it was still a gift to be able to take in this beautiful afternoon surrounded by nature.
And there we have it – Sunset! Right on time according to my watch. This is were people decide to leave and head home. Often this means they miss the most colorful part of a sunset. As the sun passes below the horizon is when I really begin to pay attention to the clouds and watch for sunlight bouncing off of them.
Soon after there are some reds in the bottom clouds. What a beautiful contrast to all the dark blues surrounding them. Ohh I think this is going to be just what I was hoping for. A quick check to make sure the camera battery has enough power and my memory card has plenty of space for whatever photos I want to take. All things are good as I wouldn’t want to miss a piece of this because of a dying battery or full memory card. On with the show!
Tonight there is no disappointment in the sky while incredible colors splash above as if being painted right in front of me. This is where the choice becomes extremely difficult. Photograph this or just sit back and enjoy the moment. If you decide to photograph it you’re guaranteed to miss parts of oranges, red, and yellows dancing on clouds floating by but there will be pictures to look back on for as long as you want. To put everything down and take in the sights you’ll be able to watch it all unfold but only with your memory. You can guess my decision.
Incredible! How else can you describe this sunset? Who else is out here to see this tonight? Are the animals around me pausing for a few minutes to marvel at this beauty? Is this a celestial gift just for me? What have I done to deserve such an amazing moment?
As the sun continues to move further below the horizon and clouds continue to glide across the darkening sky the colors continue to change and begin to recede to the eventual darkness soon to follow. I still continue to photograph even though it is difficult as I’m almost paralyzed from this beautiful night watching the sun set in full glory. Humbled by these huge forces working together in indescribable ways. If only it could last a little longer.
A few more photos and it’s time to leave in order to pick my way through this unfamiliar forest while there is still a glimpse of light. I always walk away from a sunset like this very humble and full of energy from what I just witnessed. It can be a big spiritual moment reminding me of how fortunate I am and what I’ve been given. Also a bit of sadness enters from the realization that many other people didn’t even realize how amazing this sunset was and so didn’t, or couldn’t, take a few minutes out of their day to see it. Yep, it was the right decision to come here for this moment.
From beginning to end I photographed this sunset over a two hour span which may have been the best two hours of that day. Just before arriving at my destination I was photographing the snake and had the opportunity to continue doing so but decided it was time to move on as the sun was getting lower in the sky. Those can be challenging decisions to make but I couldn’t create more images of the snake and catch the sunset. I’m satisfied with how it all turned out. Some fun photos of the snake and images of this wonderful sunset.
