Photography in Motion

What is it with Sunsets?

A photoessay

Across the world people gaze in awe at the setting sun. Some people do it at the beach in their partner’s arms. Some while relaxing on a balcony. And some while peering out the window of a plane.

Perhaps our fixation with sundown is similar to that dreamy state we can find ourselves in when staring into a campfire. Perhaps it’s a way of bidding the day adieu as we prepare for a new tomorrow. Or, perhaps there is no explanation and it’ll always be a mystery.

Either way, I’m not immune to the allure of the setting sun. That’s why I’ve taken more sunset photos over the years than I can count. I find it fascinating how the sky’s colors change before my eyes as the sun dips below the horizon to make way for twilight and then the night. And with the changing seasons you never see the same show—the sky is a constantly evolving exhibition. It’s absolutely spectacular.

Nature is the original artist.

So, if you’re unable to see the sunset for whatever reason, I’ve compiled a collection of my own photos from various travels for your viewing pleasure.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

There is nothing like a gentle breeze and the smell of fresh salty air while watching the sun take a bath in the ocean.

After the sun has finally set, twilight colors paint the sky with broad brush strokes to make way for the moon and the stars.

Even a cloudless sky paints vibrant hues across the horizon like layers of a delicious cake.

Some of the best sunsets I’ve seen have been by the seaside, where the ocean extends the sky’s canvas by reflecting its impressive fanfare of colors.

Clouds catch the sun’s radiance before amplifying it in cotton-like mist to present the eye with a new palette of color that tantilizes the senses.

A ladder of light unfurls from the sun across the ocean and onto the beach to invite everyone aboard the sunset cruise.

Nature is indeed an artist with creativity beyond imagination as the sky and landscape are in a constant state of flux.

Just imagine the extraordinary sunsets that the early explorers saw on their long voyages across the seas. No wonder they were inspired to create so many time-honored works of art (paintings, songs, stories, poems, and more).