Amazing sunset

[tigertoy]

When we hear the word 'sunset', we tend to think of a static thing, but the last half hour of daylight today was an amazing ongoing show.  As I drove east toward home, I was seeing very cool clouds with a pink tinge, but the real excitement was behind me.  When I got off the Interstate and turned south, the view out the passenger side window almost literally took my breath away.  It was not pink; it was golden, and the angle of the sun on the clouds created amazing highlights of shadow.  It was changing rapidly; by the time I actually got home, the sun was hitting the horizon; it was much pinker.  By the time I got the camera and got really clear of the trees, I'd missed most of the show, but it was still so beautiful it was a spiritual experience; it really made me feel lucky to be alive.

The pictures I took aren't all I'd hoped, but at least they're something.  If I took more time I might be able to adjust the color to be a little better.  The reds come through well but the blue patch on the left side should be much bluer.  And a number of the ones I'm not posting, the camera did a lousy job of light metering and the clear sky patches are blown out.  Someday maybe I'll learn to be enough of a photographer to remember to stop just looking at the image I see in the viewfinder and also consider the settings and the review and histogram.

Comments

[blueeyedtigress.livejournal.com]

It's hard to capture sunset light, I know -- but what you have captured is lovely! Bravo! And thanks for sharing! 8D

[daev.livejournal.com]

I am really glad you got those pictures, because I was too busy marvelling at the sky to even think of where my camera was. One thing you didn't get was the strange combination of patterned red clouds and an intensely bright blue sky which I saw out my window; somehow the clouds looked like sunset while the clear sky looked like midday. It was 100% pure Maxfield Parrish in real life.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

Well, actually, I did point my camera at some of that, but what was brilliant blue to my eyes is washed out grey on the pictures. Of the ones I posted, the 2nd and 4th have a little grey patch on the left side of the image that was much, much bluer than that in real life.

But I simply don't have the time to try to fiddle with the colors in Photoshop tonight; my choices were to do nothing but resize to something sane, or forget about it.

Re: Amazing sunset

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

oh, those are marvelous!

i don't think of "sunset" as static. :) we have lots of really amazing ones, and when i think to myself "i'm going to go watch the sunset" that means i am spending the next 20-30 minutes staring at the sky, while the actual sunset, depending on the time of year, lasts only a couple minutes.

Re: Amazing sunset

[daev.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's one thing that comes across well in Phil's Photos: the sky was rolling, the clouds shifting and twisting, the patterns of light and dark were in rapid motion.

[mbumby.livejournal.com]

I had 5 minutes to rush from "here" to "there" but still found time to marvel at the sunset we got. I think it was more pink/purple and less golden than yours, but splendid nonetheless. Thanks for the pix.

[ntrlstgrl.livejournal.com]

WOW. That's about all I can say.

WOW.

BTW friended you today! :) (Yes, FINALLY!) :P

Cheers!