January 2016 Photo of the Month: Perfect Evening At Home

My January 2016 Photo of the Month is Perfect Evening At Home, an image I made just outside my home at Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve.

Background

This was one of the nights that creates a lifetime photographer.  The clouds were setting up nicely, my Skyfire App was predicting very good light, but one still doesn’t know until the magic happens.

This scene was truly magical.  I set up at my usual spot near home on the Mast Boulevard bridge, overlooking Lake 2 at Santee Lakes.  The sun was setting to the West, and just as it was getting dark a few minutes after sunset, the light appeared.  It was something to behold.

Yellow and orange hues are pretty common in nice sunsets, but reds are pretty rare in Southern California.  This requires a great deal of moisture in the air.  This year’s rain season has been plentiful after many years of drought.

Santee Lakes At Home

I have always said that you need to own your own backyard, and Santee Lakes is a short walk from my front door.  I have enjoyed many a sunset from this bridge.  Some were good enough to make a photograph, and some were good enough to just enjoy to myself.

I have long pondered what a great sunset, a truly memorable one would look like.  This exceeded my expectations.  The clouds were high, but full of depth, and they sat perfectly over the ridge-line that defines Mission Trails Regional Park.

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the image.

-TM

tmschultze

T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.