Moonset

 

The culmination of a moon setting, the sun rising, fog, a lake reflection, a silhouette, and the end of autumn peak colors allowed for quite a scene to photograph. It was a tricky one too, especially doing it in a single frame without overprocessing the image in post-processing. The additional challenge of keeping the moon sharp but being able to pick up the colors of the rest of the scene and maintain a silhouette.

Speaking of the scene, the pastels of the sky, the fog, the sunrise, and the moon all create emotions in this photograph. This scene evokes a bit of a mixed pallet of them: The hope of a new day, but still a bit melancholy. Peace from the calm of the scene and the reflection mimicking reflectiveness and profound thought. The wonder of a full moon. The mystery and decisiveness of a silhouette. The awe of the colors of the trees. I could go on and on. What emotions come up for you? 

Sunny Outlook

The nature of a sunrise or sunset has the ability to stop most in their tracks and to produce a feeling of awe. The star that is responsible for maintaining life on earth can also produce such beauty as it begins and ends our days.  No sunrise or sunset is the same even if the surrounding characteristics are the same as each day is different and never to be repeated.  Including water can dramatize the final product as you have the added benefit of a reflection.  Equally as dramatic is capturing a silhouette for a strong graphic composition.  Finally, clouds and Mother Nature's timing create incredible results.  Here are some of my favorites:  

Fox River.  Brookfield, WI. 

Lake Michigan.  Milwaukee, WI

Siesta Key Beach. Sarasota, FL

 Fox River.  Brookfield, WI

Sometimes You Just Have to Wait for the Light

Most dramatic shots and in this case a silhouette with clouds require ideal light. With sunsets I like clouds, because the color is always better due to the clouds. Adding the element of silhouette to a image doesn't always require clouds but combining it with a sunset makes it more interesting. So I had the sunset, clouds, and awesome colors, but the beacon was not lit up. The color of the sky was waning as the sun dipped into the horizon level clouds and it would be a matter of minutes before the sky got much less interesting. I had my shots without the beacon on and started packing up. As I turned and headed toward the shore I looked back one more time. The beacon just turned on! I scrambled and reset all my equipment back up. I got the below image. Sometimes you just have to wait for the light.