THE FUNDAMENTALS OF MEMORIES #3 - THE END OF DAYS

Kind of a dramatic title for this blog entry, but in this case it's referencing the real thing: sunset.

The end of the day is an event which can be a specific reason a person is drawn to a particular destination. Sunsets are global, for reasons any nearby astrophysicist will be happy to explain. But in many, many of our detonations sunset is a spectacle, even if it's largely ignored by the masses.

Like it's mirror opposite, sunrise, sunset is full of light and color, and a kind of solemn quiet which allows some introspection. It's a moment to reflect. And it has the added bonus of being scheduled while most of us are awake.

Sunrise and sunset are wonderful times to add to that vault of memories of a place.

Best of all, they're free.

CHESAPEAKE BAY, MD - SUNSET

Sunset on the Chesapeake Bay.

KEY WEST, FLORIDA - HEADING INTO EVENING

The sunset at Key West is included in many, many bucket lists, and for good reason. 

It's a rare combination of bohemian party, and serious moment of reflection.

So grab your cameras and head over to Mallory Square for the festivities, 

then watch the boats drift across the horizon as day turn into night.

A gentle thought for your Monday.

VENICE, ITALY - DUSK IN PIAZZA SAN MARCO

Just before dusk in the Piazza San Marco, Venice. It's a gigantic architectural spectacle which will overwhelm the casual eye. Where to look? What to see? Should I stop and stare or move on?

Your choice.

SATURDAY ADVENTURE - CAPTURING THE LIGHTHOUSE AT SUNSET

Starting a new series of weekend shots showing people experiencing the world around them.

First up: Capturing the Lighthouse.

VENICE, ITALY - PICTURES AT SUNSET

End of the day. 

A lone shopper getting a few last pictures in before presumably heading back to the hotel to get ready for the evening's plans. It's sunset in Venice.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA - SUNSET SUPPER

Among the best memories any of us has are mealtimes in a special place or at a special time.

They may be meals with family, at a family get-together. Or at a rendezvous that is a shared indulgence. It may be meeting friends for dinner at the nearby Chili's, or at a fine dining spot a world away. It might be at a Lolo on a Caribbean beach, or the local coffee house just up the street.

What often makes the difference is the family and/or friends.

As I look back at a lifetime of very happy experiences in some very exotic locations -- and more than a few just up the street -- I cannot help but be pleased that so many involved the people we treasure in our lives. It's a shared adventure, these lives of ours. And shared adventures require shared memories.

Aboard the MSY Wind Surf. Dinner with our Australian friends on the fantail at the Wind Rose restaurant, enjoying the sunset over the distant coastline of the Italian boot.

OFF THE COAST OF KAUAI - THE DAZE BEFORE SELFIES

Once upon a time, not too long ago, we used to ask other people to take our pictures.

No selfie-stick required, and you got to meet someone along the way.

It's true. I was there.

After a day out on the Na Pali Coast, snorkeling and seeing the sights, our boat headed back to shore, but not without resting a few moments as the sun set into the Pacific in a truly spectacular sunset. This couple, like others on this trip, were our short-term traveling companions on an adventure.

And their honeymoon, if memory serves.

KA'ANAPALI, MAUI, HI -- SUNSET MEMORIES

Both sunrises and sunsets are legendary in America's 50th state, and I am fortunate enough to having seen and photograph wonderful examples.

A vivid recollection for me is the final sunset we saw when my family was moving from Honolullu to Newport, Rhode Island in 1969. Watching the sun go down from an upper floor of the Honolulu Holiday Inn, we sat on the hotel's balcony as the Islands bid us their own special goodbye. 

(At least that's how my mother described it.)

Below is the view from the town of Ka'anapali, along Maui's western shore.

SUNRISE, SUNSET

“There's always a story. It's all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything's got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.” 
                  
                                                               ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

It seems appropriate that I am writing this entry in the pre-dawn hours, tucked tightly into a cocoon of darkness. In just a little over an hour, as I write this, the sun will rise and a new day will begin.

Sunrise, Long Beach, CA

Sunrise is a magical time for many of us -- though I'll laughingly admit there's a large group of Americans who only theorize about sunrise, having never actually witnessed one for themselves. But the slow ascent of day, the gradual brightening of the sky to the East, with the sounds of birds as an accompanying orchestra, is one which when you pause to observe is a wonderful thing.

Sunset, Dana Point, CA

Likewise, at the end of every day the mirror of the dawn occurs: dusk. When the sun retreats back into the night and we all pack up our lives for a short time and rest to await the next day. Well, many of us rest...and that kind of depends upon which day of the week it is.

Both dawn and dusk are favorites for photographers. The lighting is dramatic and intense, giving us both inspiration and opportunity. Either directly shooting the sun as it rises or descends, or using the light from it as it falls upon some other target of our attentions.

Sunrise, Mt Haleakala, Maui, HI

I have been fortunate to have seen some truly spectacular sunrises and sunsets -- including a few of them which qualify as "Life Events". Seeing the sun rise from the top of Mount Haleakala in Hawaii was a truly inspirational moment, which I've described here, with the beauty and intensity of the sunrise over the massive volcanic crater, accompanied by the beautiful voice of a Hawaiian singer greeting the new day with a song.

Sunset from Mallory Pier, Key West, FL

Party time...

The carnival atmosphere of a sunset in Florida's Key West as seen from Mallory Pier is a fun and festive event as hundreds of people gather to watch a flotilla of sailboats dance across the horizon as they're silhouetted by the retreating sun.

Bodies of water seem to be appropriate canvases for the breaking of day or setting of the sun. The reflective nature enhances and frames the sun in a way that is remarkably profound and -- thankfully -- quite photogenic. And it oftentimes is an event which we will remember long after the sun has set and we've returned to our regular activities. It's a moment of pause, of -- pardon the pun -- reflection.

Sunrise on the tundra

As a photographer I have been to and seen many different spots in this world, but inevitably some of the most impactful moments have been in the very early morning hours when I walk, usually alone, around a place as it slowly wakes up. To see the sun as it comes up over the ocean, or a mountain, or the flat expanse of the Canadian tundra. Sunrises are mostly solitary events.

Sunsets are communal, shared, and more celebratory in a way. It's not the end of the day for many people, just the ending of daylight. As such, watching the sun go down is a group effort, while the sunrise is not. There may be one or two other souls who have similarly gotten up early, grabbed a cup of coffee and wandered out to see the morning's light. I described one such sunrise here.

These are some of my favorite places to see the sun awaken and also fall to sleep.

Sunset, Grand Canyon, AZ

Last vestige of light over Joshua Tree NP, CA

Sunset aboard the MSY Wind Surf - Adriatic Sea

Sunset, Hanalei Bay, Kauai, HI

Sunrise, Monument Valley, AZ/UT

Just before sunrise, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, HI

Sunset, Washington, DC

Sunset, Nice, France

Sunrise, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia

Sunrise, Sedona, AZ

Sunset, Santa Fe, NM

Sunset, Las Vegas

Sunrise off the coast of Mexico

Sunrise, Cayman Islands

Sunrise just off the coast of Panama

Sunset, Cartagena, Colombia

Sunset, Kona, Big Island, HI

Funtime in Malibu

A child plays on the beach at sunset. Malibu.

The Sunset Collection

One of the newer items we've added to the online store is a collection of five greeting cards featuring sunsets from California and Hawaii -- who doesn't like a beautiful sunset?

The central image was taken in Dana Point, a very upscale part of Orange County overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Clockwise from upper left we have a view from Ka'anapali Beach on Maui; a view across Queensway Bay in Long Beach. The lower right -- featured as a pic of the day just yesterday -- is Malibu. The the final lower left image is from the town of Kapalua, also on Maui.

Enjoy.

Pic of the Day: Malibu Sunset

On a day many, many years ago my wife had a gig at a private party in Malibu, the famous colony of entertainment types just northwest of Los Angeles.

Because of the nature of the gig I would not be able to stay at the party while she played. It happens sometimes, so I brought along my trusty Nikon and went down to the beach for some afternoon and sunset shots. The sunset that evening was stunning, adding some five photographs to my permanent portfolio. This is one.

(This is available as one of the Sunset Greeting Card Collection from my online store.)

Pic of the Day: A Mystic Land

   

I love this photograph of an area of Western Canada just after sunset. The low lying clouds are beginning to drift through verdant valleys and a lush landscape. It's an area called False Creek, lying just between Vancouver and Squamish, BC.