Sunset at McKenzie Pass, Oregon

Very nicely composed and the colors are perfect. Did you actually catch the sun or place it in? In any event this is a real beauty Stephen.

Thanks for commenting, Leo. I saw the possibility of this scene happening, and I simply waited for over 2 hours to see if it would actually occur. It did; the sun hit a thinner part of the clouds and smoke (forest fires) and became visible (sometimes more, sometimes less), and I took photos all the way as it dipped below the horizon. I thought this was one of the better compositions.

I saw the possibility of this scene, waited for over 2 hours to see if it would materialize,

and it did. Comments and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Outstanding and I like it even more now that I know it's real, if that's possible. It was well worth the wait and a delicious piece of eye candy.

You really got rewarded for the waiting, Stephen. The atmosphere is very special, surreal. Excellent.

Thanks again for the comments. Leo, I'm not willing to create something like this just to accomplish an aesthetic goal. I want to experience it, and then record the experience. Besides, I doubt that my PS skill are sufficient to make it look real. I spent two nights up here, in my camper in the parking lot, and it was a wonderful time.

very nice work great atmosphere! congrats

Worth the wait, nice shot

At the risk of appearing to be a cyber-stalker, I want you to know that I'm a huge fan of yours by now. Let me explain. First, you're a great photographer. Then you happen to be from one of my favorite spots in the country. My husband and I have fallen in love with the Pacific NW. And now I find out that you camp also......so, my friend, you have just moved up to the 'top of my list'. :-) I wonder if you would be willing to serve as our 'unofficial' travel consultant for all things Oregonian. :-) I would not abuse the service, I assure you. This photo is spectacular! I love stories like this.....of photographers who have the luxury of time to wait for the perfect conditions, instead of PS'ing in special effects. (Not that I don't enjoy those also!) The only thing I would like to have seen here is a version with a sharper DOF for the vegetation on the distant hill. I love it this way......I just wonder if I would have preferred the other more......you said you took a bunch of shots. Did you try any that way? At any rate, this combination of pink, plum, orange and black is stunning, and you should be justly proud of this work of art.

Thanks again for the comments. Christal, I spent much of the summer doing a big loop around Oregon. I've lived in Montana and Washington all of my life, and my only regret is that I didn't spend part of this time in Oregon. There are a few places that I would highly recommend, and I'll send a short list to you. About the trees on the horizon line -- how I wish they were sharp. You would think that having so much time to plan the shot (I had this tree picked out well in advance) that I would have considered DOF more carefully. However, this was taken with a 400mm lens at f/16. I have one shot taken at f/22, and the horizon trees aren't much sharper. So I guess this really is about the best that could have been done under those circumstances. I took about a dozen shots before the sun dipped below the smoke, and I was just trying various positions of the sun relative to the tree; I thought this was the best. After the sun dipped below the horizon, I started photographing again, and what you see here as grayish (or plum) turned blood-red and the yellow/gold band stayed the same color. The colors were amazing. I'll post one of those shots as well, but having the sun in the photo was my favorite.

Stephen, maybe you could have used focus bracketing and combine the images in PS, but I do not mind too much that the trees in the background are not sharp.

Peter, you're right, I could have done that. It wasn't a part of my thinking at the time (I was thinking only about the position of the sinking sun relative to the tree, and the brightness of the sun as it passed behind varying layers of smoke), and it should have been. I still kind of laugh at myself for having all that time and still not considering all of the factors that should have been addressed. I very seldom do telephoto shots like this that include a near and far element, so it's a learning experience for me.

Incredible image - well done.

It's amazing to see your artistic eye on this one.Being able to see and feel that scene few hours before is a sign of great ability.

I like the black contrast and shape of the tree with the filtered purple sun.Great framing.....congrats for your patience...

                                                            YEAH!!...

No wonder this has been favorite of so many. Your persistence has paid off. The colors are wonderful, the simplicity is as it should be, the location of the Sun is perfect. Love this shot.

Just a little observation and possibility to improve this shot with the processing - I see some possible blue aberrations at some of the branches, or it might possibly be the reflection of the sky or dim light. I think taking care of either of those would be terrific. I think bit underexposing the silhouetted area would be worth trying.

 

Best

+Lalit

 

The earlier viewers have said it all already, but I thought I'll write it anyway - a very fine reward for your two hours of waiting, Stephen! Don't think it's in need of any improvement.

Just a note:  when I posted this on my website, I decided to smooth the horizon line (eliminate the out-of-focus scraggly trees).  Whether this is an "improvement" in the aesthetics is debatable; I think some will like other, while others would probably prefer the shot as taken.

It is like u want a fish for dinner, u can catch it by yourself in a river or lake on just buy it somewhere, no one would tell a difference - except you, for a whole buch of reasons, and i do respect them. Excellent capture. BR,vf 

I am very surprised Stephen that you've chosen to "smooth the horizon line (eliminate the out-of-focus scraggly trees)" on your website posting given the strong stance you've taken on landscape photo digital alterations (which I fully support.) 

I feel the distant trees are absolutely essential to tying foreground to background and their relative fuzziness is irrelevant to the photo's impact.  Put me down as one of those that "prefer the shot as taken."

Dave, it's the non-disclosure, the passing off of a digital alteration as a natural,  as-the-eye-saw-it photo that bothers me the most.  I want people to know when a photo has been significantly altered, and I consider the reshaping of the horizon line to be significant.  And as I said, I'm pretty ambivalent as to whether the horizon should be made smoother.  I didn't even consider it until some folks commented on it.  Now you have me thinking about yet another aspect of the ragged horizon -- it gives a sense of depth.  That's the value of an honest critique, and I appreciate it.