Sunset
Ending On a Calm Note
This is a panoramic view of an impressive, January sunset in rural Kewaunee County, Wisconsin home. This photo was taken at the end of January in 2013.
This photo is much larger and wider than you see here. I’ve had to crop it to make it fit the format of this web page. However, if you click on the photo, you will get a view of the full image – at least as much as your screen can handle.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
The Grand Overview
I was able to capture this spectacular view by being in the right place at the right time. This a view of the Cascade mountain range as the sun was setting (out of view, to the right), looking south from the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon. The prominent peak in the middle is Mount Jefferson in Linn County. I was able to do a little hiking and sightseeing while in the Portland area for a conference in early October.
This is a massive file because it is about 9 individual photos all joined together to be able to capture the full panorama. It is hard to get the full benefit of this scene without viewing it on a large scale. You can see a full-screen version of this image (at least as large as your screen will allow) by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Sunny Day Done
As the sun sets over a farm field in rural Wisconsin, the sunflowers seem reluctant to call it a day.
We are blessed to have sunflowers growing in the field across the road from our yard. Yesterday the sunset was beautiful and I thought the combination of flowers and sky would make a great image.
I tried a new technique to create this panoramic image. The sky is so much brighter than the field, so I tried to a different exposure for the one shot of the field and a darker exposure for the three shots that make up the sky and then combined the four different frames into this panorama. There are some areas of the image that I’m not pleased with, but overall, I think it’s a winner. I’ll need to work on refining the process to clean up some of the rough spots.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
Orange Overhead
As a photographer, I’m always on the hunt for those elusive, magical moments where the rising (or setting) sun collaborates with interesting cloud formations to paint the landscape with vivid color. This was one of those moments at the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse, on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
Those familiar with my work know that I feature this lighthouse often. It’s because I live just a couple of miles away. It’s close enough that if I’m up before sunrise, I can look out my window to see if the sky and sun are going to cooperate. If the pre-sunrise sky is showing promise, and I have the time, I can grab my camera and be on the shore in a few minutes. The sky, itself is beautiful, but setting a lighthouse in the foreground makes for a much more interesting scene.
You can view more sunrise images of this and another nearby lighthouse (Algoma) by following this link: https://popsdigital.com/category/lighthouse/
You can view this photo near full-screen simply by clicking on the image. When you do, a new browser tab will open with as much larger a version as your screen can handle.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Summer Skylight
A few evenings ago, the sunset lit up the rural Wisconsin sky with an awesome display of color. Naturally, I stepped out into the yard to record the beauty.
We’ve had a wetter than normal fall this year, keeping the lawns green and, in our case, sloppy wet. The large puddle in our yard (remaining effects of a recent rain) reflected the early evening beauty.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this photo by clicking on it.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Sundown Hotspot
Fire Painters In the Sky
This image is a combination of stunning, natural beauty and a generous helping of digital magic. Let me share some of the details.
This is one of my earliest photos taken with my first decent digital camera. The camera a Kodak EasyShare DX7590 that I purchased to document my first trip to Liberia, Africa in 1995 . The DX7590 was a minor step up from a typical point-and-shoot camera with a whopping 5-megapixels. (Pretty impressive, in those days, for a small, consumer grade camera. My current camera provides 24-megapixels.)
This photo was taken in march of 2007. At home in the early evening, I saw the wonderful colors in the sky out my living room window. Of course, I grabbed my camera and dashed out the door.
I crossed the road in front of my house to be able to frame up the sky without any interference from the power lines and poles between me and the beauty. I included the dormant tree to add contrast and interest to the scene. I snapped several frames of the incredible sky with the trees and field before me.
If you haven’t guessed by now, the water you see in the foreground wasn’t part of the original scene. I added the water, digitally, after the fact. The lovely, rippling reflection of the water in this image replaced a barren farm field, mostly covered with melting snow. You can see a couple of the original images I took – with out the water effect – in this earlier post: Fire In the Sky
The farm field was dark and dreary, compared to the sky, so I thought it needed an upgrade. I had been trying out a trial version of software developed to add a water effect and thought the reflective quality of water might add more interest and color to the bottom of the image. In fact, I extended the bottom area of the photo, to fit more ripples in the view.
You can view a larger version of this photo by clicking on it.
Fini
“Fini” means “The End” in the French language. It’s the perfect title for this breathtaking view last Friday evening. The brightest point at the bottom of the frame is the last bit of sun slipping behind the clouds.
My wife, Sara and I were driving home from a very enjoyable day of just spending time together. As we talked, we both noticed the stunning sunset. I held off as long as I could before I had to pull over, grab the camera out of it’s case in the back seat and snap a few frames.
I typically try to include something of interest in the foreground of sunset photos (an old tree, the silhouette of a building, etc.), but the clouds and the color were amazing enough on their own. (At least, I thought so.)
To view a larger version of this beauty, click on the photo.