A Simple July Evening Sunset on the Lakeshore

This was a quiet evening on the lakeshore back in early July of 2002. The air was warm and the water was incredibly calm, which made for a perfect, glassy reflection as the sun went down. We just found a spot on the sand and watched the whole thing unfold.

The sky went through so many phases of color. It started with a bright golden light that spread across the water, then shifted to deep oranges and reds that seemed to set the clouds on fire. As the sun dipped below the horizon, everything softened into purples and deep blues.

A few other people were out there with us, enjoying the show. I caught a couple of shots of them as silhouettes against the fading light — a man and a small child playing by the water's edge. It was just a simple, peaceful end to a summer day, the kind you get a lot of in Michigan if you know where to look.