A Colorful Fall Sunset
One recent evening, Laura was away, and I was going out to get in the car so that I could go grab something to eat. But one quick look at the sky prompted me to go back into the house, grab my camera, and go for a walk down the driveway first. Because the sunset colors were beautiful. Have a look.
Grass and Sky
Rather than just taking a normal sunset photo, I decided that I wanted something in the foreground. We have these tall things that grow wild along our driveway. From my limited knowledge, I would call it some kind of cat tail weed. Whatever they are, they grow really tall in the fall, and I liked the way they looked against the sunset sky.
Hopefully, these weeds to not take away too much attention from that sunset sky in the background, however. Because those colors really stole the show. As you can see, it was well worth delaying my dinner date with Ronald McDonald to get these photos. The sky was really putting on a show that night.
And here is one more photo. I took lots, as you might imagine, and I had a difficult time picking a favorite. So instead of sharing just one, I decided to share my top three favorites. Just in case you like one of the better than the others. I won’t even bother telling you which is my favorite, so as not to sway your opinion. And it is okay to like all three of them equally, too.
A Beautiful Evening
As I mentioned, and as you can see, it was a beautiful evening. It had been cloudy for much of the day. But just before the sun went down, the clouds began to part. And then the setting sun lit up the clouds that had stuck around.
However, as I also mentioned, I had not really been paying attention. I had been watching some football and then doing some things inside the house, and I had not bothered to look outside. So I am glad that I was heading out, so that I took the time to notice the sunset. It would have been a shame if I had missed it, after all.
So here is a reminder to you (and me) to take some time to notice what is going on around you. Sometimes that involves noticing the beauty of nature as it goes through its daily or seasonal changes.
And sometimes that involves noticing what is going on with people. People have things going on in their lives all the time, and sometimes they might want or need some help from you. They might not want to ask, so it helps to pay attention to others so that you can see their needs.
Don’t get so caught up in what you are doing that you miss what all is going on around you.
Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2
About the Photos
One slightly tricky thing about these photos was not capturing the power line that runs along our driveway. That line has figured into some other photos I have taken, and I don’t usually mind it all that much. But for these photos, it would have been a bit of a distraction. I know that to be true because I did get it in a few of the photos that I did not use here. So I had to be careful with what angle I was shooting, just to be safe. There are ways to take power lines out of photos digitally these days, but it is better (and easier, in the long run) if you can keep them out of there in the first place.
I did bump up the color saturation just a bit to make the sky look more like how I saw it, or at least like how I remembered seeing it. I did not, however, try to bring out the shadow detail as I sometimes do. The silhouettes of the weedy things worked just fine for me here, so I left them like they were. After all, the sky is the main focus, even if it is slightly out of focus. That was on purpose, too, by the way.
Photo: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in GIMP and Raw Therapee. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Rokinon 35mm f/1.8
Date: October 22, 2022
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee
