What makes a powerful image? Content? Color? Tone? Composition? Graphic elements? Luck?

I was working in Marin County one day in October of 2012. On my way home, in the late afternoon, I saw that the Sun was going to provide a wonderful show of setting. I turned off Highway 101 South just before the Golden Gate Bridge and headed west. I managed to capture a few of my all-time favorite sunset images in the span of an hour or so.

Sunset has always been the time of day I enjoy the most. A painted sky with clouds adding character to the landscape… some of those almost magical 3D paintings like the works of Albert Bierstadt (http://hagginmuseum.org/collections/bierstadt.shtml) give me the greatest visual pleasure.

The end of daylight is also a time of reflection. What’s been done, what’s left to do, what’s on for tomorrow?