Journeys›Photograph

A Few July Evenings by the Lake

·#photography#summer#michigan#lake michigan#light-painting#sunsets
Sun setting over a calm lake, its bright reflection on the water, framed by dark trees and a small beach.

The first few days of July 2004 were quiet. Most evenings ended the same way: watching the sun drop below the horizon of the lake. The water was consistently calm, almost like glass, but the sky offered something different each time. Some nights were clear and golden, with the light just shimmering across the surface. Other evenings had more cloud cover, which caught the light in these really deep, dramatic reds and oranges.

After the sun was completely gone and it was properly dark, I spent some time experimenting with long exposures. Just me and the camera in the dark, playing with a small light source. It's always a bit of a surprise to see what you get when you finally close the shutter. These abstract spirals and fiery trails were the result of just moving light through the empty space. A completely different kind of light show than the sunset, one I could create myself.

Bright sunset over a wide expanse of water with the sun reflecting intensely, surrounded by dark clouds.Golden and orange sunset with a bright sun behind dark clouds, reflecting on textured water.Orange and red sunset over the ocean, with the sun breaking through clouds and reflecting on the water.Sunset over a calm body of water with the sun reflecting, framed by dark tree silhouettes and a narrow beach.Sun setting over water under a multi-colored sky with clouds, a sun reflection, and a flying bird.A bright, swirling light in shades of yellow, orange, and red against a dark background.A bright, swirling vortex of yellow, orange, and red light against a dark background.Swirling orange and yellow light trails create a luminous abstract pattern against a dark, featureless background.

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