November 15, 2011

Simple Sunset Photo Tip ...

Last time we Kellers traveled to Mono Lake, we arranged to arrive there at sunrise (oh yeah, you can bet the dudes loved that. not.) This time we traveled to Mono Lake for sunset. Because I'm, like, soooo original like that (and because I knew there was a greater likelihood of water freezing in hell than of me being able to talk my crew into another sunrise adventure!). I discovered that this tourist destination is far more popular at sunset than sunrise (go figure: way less frigid, a time of day when everyone is actually awake, and every bit as beautiful as sunrise).

Behold the golden splendor of twilight time at Mono Lake ...

IMG_0101IMG_0114 A Rorschach test?  Or tufas with a tourist??IMG_9697-2mono lake 1

And behold the fellow photographers, arrayed all in a line to capture all the sunset goodness...mono lake 2mono lake 3mono lake 5mono lake 6mono lake 7mono lake sundown

…and the sun set and all the photographers with their nice cameras & tripods left.   Which is terribly sad, because this is what they missed:IMG_9813-2


All of which leads me to my super simple sunset tip:
after the sun sets, stick around a while. The most spectacular, vivid colors sometimes arrive 20-30 minutes after the sun has gone down.

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10 comments:

Anita Johnson said...

What a beautiful place (And photos)...sunrise or sunset! I have often seen the sky light up with color AFTER the sun sets, I guess most people, without thinking, stop looking when the sun goes down. I finally started keeping a cheap tripod in the car...better than nothing, for the unexpected sunset (which now, with the time change seems to occur around 3 in the afternoon...OK slight exaggeration.(o: )

dmauton said...

How beautiful! They sure missed something special.

Unknown said...

I had heard that tip before but didn't experience it myself until last Friday's sunset shoot. We were on the side of the mountain and everyone was being just great and I just kept shooting and wow! Those were the best pics out of the whole shoot. So I heartily agree! Gorgeous photos Ms. Susan.

Iona Nicole said...

Those are incredible photos!

Tracy P. said...

That is amazing. Story. Pictures. All of it. Were you seriously the only one left?

Elise said...

How lovely! Thank you for the tip :)

Holly said...

The textures and the light from your side of the country are so different from what we have here right now. Your photos make me think brittle, glass like, reflectors. My photos seem to absorb the light,what colors we find are softer and not as brilliant. As Julie Rivera said in her most recent post, the colors muted as nature begins to wind down into winter.

tracey said...

Absolutely gorgeous! Mono Lake will always remind me of my cousin's (one of my BFF's) dad. Warren was a professional landscape photographer and Mono Lake was his specialty. He and his friend George Lepp, took photographers on travel photo excursions, many trips being to ML. When I was growing up their home was filled with images from there and though I have never been there, I feel as if I have. Warren passed away in 1991 when I was a senior in college. The memorial service was decorated with his images. :)

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness.
I love these images. Love, Love, LOVE!
I think this is a great analogy for life ; ) Wait a while after the sun sets. The best is yet to come.

Gerty said...

Oooooo...they are lovely. I will have to start a bucket list and include a sunset photo shoot as one of them. Love the photo of the other photographers. It's so random!