Canyonlands Sunset

There might be a better spot from which to shoot the sunset around here, but it's not accessible. This spot on the side of the road is convenient, a safe place to pull off, and offers the best view I've found in the area.

I'd like to see this one without the backside of the guardrail - or the road for that matter - but from a composition point of view the highlights on the guardrail balance the picture nicely.

Moving the tripod around a little, but basically shooting a bunch of pictures from the same spot doesn't make a lot of sense unless the light is changing. In studio work, it's all about the lighting; with landscapes too, it's mostly about the light (i.e., almost anywhere you can find a decent composition; the composition without good light just doesn't get it).

The bushes in the center of this picture, at the end of the guardrail, were the brightest foliage anywhere around, near or far. They drew my eye every time I turned in that direction, so I took this picture. The thickening stream of cloud to the left balances the guardrail on the right.

As the sun got lower, the clouds above the opposite hill took on a pink cast.

I guess I like this one because the amount of detail in the sky matches the amount of detail in the Ash Juniper and the limestone cut at the bottom right.

The first couple pictures above will have to suffice for the sunset. The sun just kind of disappeared behind the clouds while I had my back turned. But, that's just how it goes sometimes. . .

Happy Thanksgiving.