Golden sunset over a small lake

It seems that most evenings lately have provided great opportunities to photograph beautiful sunsets. I didn’t want to miss one tonight, so even though it appeared to be nothing special at first, I drove to a familiar spot … and low and behold, it was another dramatic golden sunset over a small lake. I setup my tripod and stood there for about 20 minutes altering the focal length to create a small bit of variance in the framing. Mother nature did the rest. The colors were great and the thin cirrus clouds were constantly shifting so the sky was different every few minutes.

Here is a brief glance at the evolution that took place in the time that I was there.

dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
I took a slight liberty here by adding the trail of light on the surface of the water. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
Here is the true scene. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
Clouds are beginning to change as the sun drops further. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
This is the same position with a wider focal length offering more sky and the blue brilliance. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
This is zoomed in to the longest point on the lens. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
A slight upward tilt of the tripod offers yet another perspective. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
The clouds in the upper right are now reflecting a bright pink tone. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
These great rays appeared creating a totally different feel. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
Another different cloud formation in the center … kind of like a dripping glob of clouds. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
Here’s cropped view of the same formation. Larry Shapiro photo
dramatic golden Sunset across a small lake
Here’s a neat swirling of the clouds directly over the sun. Larry Shapiro photo