This is a collection of sunset-related photos from my various albums and galleries, taken over the past 40 years...
![This view is looking west to New Jersey, with some low hills/mountains in the far background. The barge was fairly stationary in the river, which facilitated my being able to take 9 separate HDR images without suffering any blur...
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
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In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.](http://yourdon.smugmug.com/Other/Sunsets/i-gBdWr2K/0/Ti/New%20Jersey%20skyline%2C%20looking%20west_4295414000_o-Ti.jpg "This view is looking west to New Jersey, with some low hills/mountains in the far background. The barge was fairly stationary in the river, which facilitated my being able to take 9 separate HDR images without suffering any blur...
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
**************************************
In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.")
![This was taken from my hotel window, looking across a highway at a large exhibition and park devoted to Russia's space exploits in the late 1950s. The swooping structure is apparently made of titanium, and you actually have to look fairly closely to see the small rocket at the top. There's also a large promenade, exhibition center, and even a Ferris wheel, which are visible in the next several pictures...
The television tower in the background is apparently held upright by roughly 150 specially-made steel wires. There was a serious fire about 10 years ago, and most of the wires were destroyed; people feared that the tower might topple, but it didn't.
It took quite a while for the wires to be replaced, and for the first week after the fire, there was no television in Moscow; the local joke is that, just like the aftermath of NYC power failures in 1965 and 1977 and 2003, the birth rate shot up dramatically exactly nine months later...
Note: this photo was published in a Moscow Insider's Guide blog titled "Cosmos Hotel Moscow ( http://www.moscow-russia-insiders-guide.com/cosmos-hotel-moscow.html ) ."
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These photos were taken during a week-long trip to Russia in September 2008, the last four days of which were spent in Moscow. The first several photos were taken from the window of my hotel room, on the 24th floor of a massive complex known as the "Cosmos" hotel at the northern edge of the city. The others were taken during a 3-hour drive to see various scenic areas of Moscow (some of which, like Red Square, I had already seen and photographed on an earlier trip to Moscow in April 2008)](http://yourdon.smugmug.com/Other/Sunsets/i-6RBg4n9/0/Ti/Moscow%2C%20Sep%202008%20-%2001_2900483142_o-Ti.jpg "This was taken from my hotel window, looking across a highway at a large exhibition and park devoted to Russia's space exploits in the late 1950s. The swooping structure is apparently made of titanium, and you actually have to look fairly closely to see the small rocket at the top. There's also a large promenade, exhibition center, and even a Ferris wheel, which are visible in the next several pictures...
The television tower in the background is apparently held upright by roughly 150 specially-made steel wires. There was a serious fire about 10 years ago, and most of the wires were destroyed; people feared that the tower might topple, but it didn't.
It took quite a while for the wires to be replaced, and for the first week after the fire, there was no television in Moscow; the local joke is that, just like the aftermath of NYC power failures in 1965 and 1977 and 2003, the birth rate shot up dramatically exactly nine months later...
Note: this photo was published in a Moscow Insider's Guide blog titled "Cosmos Hotel Moscow ( http://www.moscow-russia-insiders-guide.com/cosmos-hotel-moscow.html ) ."
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These photos were taken during a week-long trip to Russia in September 2008, the last four days of which were spent in Moscow. The first several photos were taken from the window of my hotel room, on the 24th floor of a massive complex known as the "Cosmos" hotel at the northern edge of the city. The others were taken during a 3-hour drive to see various scenic areas of Moscow (some of which, like Red Square, I had already seen and photographed on an earlier trip to Moscow in April 2008)")
![Note: this photo was published as an illustration in a Jun 17, 2012 blog titled "El Tren met orkest Walton & Van Duinen zondag 17 juni a.s. ( http://www.elcompas.nl/wp/2012/06/15/el-tren-met-orkest-zondag-17-juni-a-s/ ) " It was also published in a Jun 16, 2012 EveryBlock NYC blog ( http://nyc.everyblock.com/locations/custom/e48966e061f84e86b332f9453309b618/ ) , for a specially drawn region of the NYC map that includes Pier 45 in Greenwich Village, located right where Christopher Street ends at the Hudson River.
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It's been nearly a year since I last photographed the tango dancers in New York City, even though I know they've been gathering each Sunday down at the end of Pier 45, where Christopher Street runs into the Hudson River in the West Village. But the weather was rainy on several occasions throughout the spring of this year, and I was out of town on various other occasions ... so, it wasn't until the month of June had arrived, and the beginning of another summer was in the air before there was a combination of free time and clear skies that enabled me to find a quiet perch out at the end of the pier, to watch the dancers once again.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the sky was hazy and overcast when I first arrived. But the clouds eventually thinned out, the haze faded, and blue skies appeared for the final hour or two of the afternoon, culminating in a pleasant (but not quite spectacular) sunset.
I had met a few of the tango dancers at previous gatherings, and I made a point of introducing myself to several others, handing out business cards with my Flickr address so that people would be able to find these pictures without too much difficulty. As a result, several of the photos are more "connected" or "engaged" with my presence than is normally the case; and yet, you'll see that some of the dancers watch me with a certain degree of ... what? suspicion? distrust? or maybe just caution. But since the dancers have good reason to be more interested in the music, and the movement of their partners, than a guy on the sideline with a camera, most of them simply ignored me...
As I've pointed out in some previous Flickr albums (here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) , for example), I do not dance the tango (or any other civilized form of dance), and even after watching the dancers for over a year, I know almost nothing about the history, the folklore, or even the steps and rhythms of the tango. But after accidentally stumbling upon a local gathering of tango aficionados on a business trip to Washington in August 2009 (see my Flickr set Last tango in Washington ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157621943882787 ) ), I discovered that there were similar informal events throughout New York City. When I got home, I searched on the Internet and found a schedule of upcoming tango events at several different NYC locations -- including Pier 45, where I made my first visit in mid-April of 2010, which led to this set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) of photos.
Altogether, I've now taken nearly a dozen sets of tango-related photos, and you can see a thumbnail overview of them in this Flickr collection ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/collections/72157624855980784/ ) . And if you'd like to watch some other examples NYC tango dancing, check out Richard Lipkin's Guide to Argentine Tango in New York City ( http://www.newyorktango.com/ ) .](http://yourdon.smugmug.com/Other/Sunsets/i-sbSZHnQ/0/Ti/Pier%2045%20tango%2C%20Jun%202012%20-%2075_7382687610_o-Ti.jpg "Note: this photo was published as an illustration in a Jun 17, 2012 blog titled "El Tren met orkest Walton & Van Duinen zondag 17 juni a.s. ( http://www.elcompas.nl/wp/2012/06/15/el-tren-met-orkest-zondag-17-juni-a-s/ ) " It was also published in a Jun 16, 2012 EveryBlock NYC blog ( http://nyc.everyblock.com/locations/custom/e48966e061f84e86b332f9453309b618/ ) , for a specially drawn region of the NYC map that includes Pier 45 in Greenwich Village, located right where Christopher Street ends at the Hudson River.
***************************************
It's been nearly a year since I last photographed the tango dancers in New York City, even though I know they've been gathering each Sunday down at the end of Pier 45, where Christopher Street runs into the Hudson River in the West Village. But the weather was rainy on several occasions throughout the spring of this year, and I was out of town on various other occasions ... so, it wasn't until the month of June had arrived, and the beginning of another summer was in the air before there was a combination of free time and clear skies that enabled me to find a quiet perch out at the end of the pier, to watch the dancers once again.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the sky was hazy and overcast when I first arrived. But the clouds eventually thinned out, the haze faded, and blue skies appeared for the final hour or two of the afternoon, culminating in a pleasant (but not quite spectacular) sunset.
I had met a few of the tango dancers at previous gatherings, and I made a point of introducing myself to several others, handing out business cards with my Flickr address so that people would be able to find these pictures without too much difficulty. As a result, several of the photos are more "connected" or "engaged" with my presence than is normally the case; and yet, you'll see that some of the dancers watch me with a certain degree of ... what? suspicion? distrust? or maybe just caution. But since the dancers have good reason to be more interested in the music, and the movement of their partners, than a guy on the sideline with a camera, most of them simply ignored me...
As I've pointed out in some previous Flickr albums (here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) , for example), I do not dance the tango (or any other civilized form of dance), and even after watching the dancers for over a year, I know almost nothing about the history, the folklore, or even the steps and rhythms of the tango. But after accidentally stumbling upon a local gathering of tango aficionados on a business trip to Washington in August 2009 (see my Flickr set Last tango in Washington ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157621943882787 ) ), I discovered that there were similar informal events throughout New York City. When I got home, I searched on the Internet and found a schedule of upcoming tango events at several different NYC locations -- including Pier 45, where I made my first visit in mid-April of 2010, which led to this set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) of photos.
Altogether, I've now taken nearly a dozen sets of tango-related photos, and you can see a thumbnail overview of them in this Flickr collection ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/collections/72157624855980784/ ) . And if you'd like to watch some other examples NYC tango dancing, check out Richard Lipkin's Guide to Argentine Tango in New York City ( http://www.newyorktango.com/ ) .")
![Note: this photo was published as an illustration in a Jun 17, 2012 blog titled "El Tren met orkest Walton & Van Duinen zondag 17 juni a.s. ( http://www.elcompas.nl/wp/2012/06/15/el-tren-met-orkest-zondag-17-juni-a-s/ ) " It was also published in a Jun 16, 2012 EveryBlock NYC blog ( http://nyc.everyblock.com/locations/custom/e48966e061f84e86b332f9453309b618/ ) , for a specially drawn region of the NYC map that includes Pier 45 in Greenwich Village, located right where Christopher Street ends at the Hudson River.
***************************************
It's been nearly a year since I last photographed the tango dancers in New York City, even though I know they've been gathering each Sunday down at the end of Pier 45, where Christopher Street runs into the Hudson River in the West Village. But the weather was rainy on several occasions throughout the spring of this year, and I was out of town on various other occasions ... so, it wasn't until the month of June had arrived, and the beginning of another summer was in the air before there was a combination of free time and clear skies that enabled me to find a quiet perch out at the end of the pier, to watch the dancers once again.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the sky was hazy and overcast when I first arrived. But the clouds eventually thinned out, the haze faded, and blue skies appeared for the final hour or two of the afternoon, culminating in a pleasant (but not quite spectacular) sunset.
I had met a few of the tango dancers at previous gatherings, and I made a point of introducing myself to several others, handing out business cards with my Flickr address so that people would be able to find these pictures without too much difficulty. As a result, several of the photos are more "connected" or "engaged" with my presence than is normally the case; and yet, you'll see that some of the dancers watch me with a certain degree of ... what? suspicion? distrust? or maybe just caution. But since the dancers have good reason to be more interested in the music, and the movement of their partners, than a guy on the sideline with a camera, most of them simply ignored me...
As I've pointed out in some previous Flickr albums (here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) , for example), I do not dance the tango (or any other civilized form of dance), and even after watching the dancers for over a year, I know almost nothing about the history, the folklore, or even the steps and rhythms of the tango. But after accidentally stumbling upon a local gathering of tango aficionados on a business trip to Washington in August 2009 (see my Flickr set Last tango in Washington ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157621943882787 ) ), I discovered that there were similar informal events throughout New York City. When I got home, I searched on the Internet and found a schedule of upcoming tango events at several different NYC locations -- including Pier 45, where I made my first visit in mid-April of 2010, which led to this set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) of photos.
Altogether, I've now taken nearly a dozen sets of tango-related photos, and you can see a thumbnail overview of them in this Flickr collection ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/collections/72157624855980784/ ) . And if you'd like to watch some other examples NYC tango dancing, check out Richard Lipkin's Guide to Argentine Tango in New York City ( http://www.newyorktango.com/ ) .](http://yourdon.smugmug.com/Other/Sunsets/i-jKP93T9/0/Ti/Pier%2045%20tango%2C%20Jun%202012%20-%2074_7382683232_o-Ti.jpg "Note: this photo was published as an illustration in a Jun 17, 2012 blog titled "El Tren met orkest Walton & Van Duinen zondag 17 juni a.s. ( http://www.elcompas.nl/wp/2012/06/15/el-tren-met-orkest-zondag-17-juni-a-s/ ) " It was also published in a Jun 16, 2012 EveryBlock NYC blog ( http://nyc.everyblock.com/locations/custom/e48966e061f84e86b332f9453309b618/ ) , for a specially drawn region of the NYC map that includes Pier 45 in Greenwich Village, located right where Christopher Street ends at the Hudson River.
***************************************
It's been nearly a year since I last photographed the tango dancers in New York City, even though I know they've been gathering each Sunday down at the end of Pier 45, where Christopher Street runs into the Hudson River in the West Village. But the weather was rainy on several occasions throughout the spring of this year, and I was out of town on various other occasions ... so, it wasn't until the month of June had arrived, and the beginning of another summer was in the air before there was a combination of free time and clear skies that enabled me to find a quiet perch out at the end of the pier, to watch the dancers once again.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the sky was hazy and overcast when I first arrived. But the clouds eventually thinned out, the haze faded, and blue skies appeared for the final hour or two of the afternoon, culminating in a pleasant (but not quite spectacular) sunset.
I had met a few of the tango dancers at previous gatherings, and I made a point of introducing myself to several others, handing out business cards with my Flickr address so that people would be able to find these pictures without too much difficulty. As a result, several of the photos are more "connected" or "engaged" with my presence than is normally the case; and yet, you'll see that some of the dancers watch me with a certain degree of ... what? suspicion? distrust? or maybe just caution. But since the dancers have good reason to be more interested in the music, and the movement of their partners, than a guy on the sideline with a camera, most of them simply ignored me...
As I've pointed out in some previous Flickr albums (here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) , for example), I do not dance the tango (or any other civilized form of dance), and even after watching the dancers for over a year, I know almost nothing about the history, the folklore, or even the steps and rhythms of the tango. But after accidentally stumbling upon a local gathering of tango aficionados on a business trip to Washington in August 2009 (see my Flickr set Last tango in Washington ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157621943882787 ) ), I discovered that there were similar informal events throughout New York City. When I got home, I searched on the Internet and found a schedule of upcoming tango events at several different NYC locations -- including Pier 45, where I made my first visit in mid-April of 2010, which led to this set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157623735292849/ ) of photos.
Altogether, I've now taken nearly a dozen sets of tango-related photos, and you can see a thumbnail overview of them in this Flickr collection ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/collections/72157624855980784/ ) . And if you'd like to watch some other examples NYC tango dancing, check out Richard Lipkin's Guide to Argentine Tango in New York City ( http://www.newyorktango.com/ ) .")
![I drove out to this area of the Irwin Flats Road hoping to get some good sunset photos ... but there were so many heavy clouds that it became obvious that it just wasn't going to happen. But the shafts of sunlight that streamed through the clouds were interesting on their own, so that's what I ended up concentrating on, for these last few photos of the visit to Polson...
Note: this photo was published in an undated (Mar 2011) blog titled "#1 Ranked CC Licensed Photo on Flickr from Polson ( http://thepaperboy.com/united-states/polson/photos.cfm?WOEID=2474834 ) ." Roughly 18 other of the HDR photos in this Flickr set were also shown on the blog posting, in a small collage titled "More Amazing Photos of Polson," but I don't have the time or energy right now to add appropriate annotations to all of those photos...
****************
After a 1993 summer vacation in Crested Butte and Ouray, (pictures of which are in this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157600237278336 ) , I decided that while the scenery was spectacular, Colorado was too crowded and over-run by tourists, visitors, and owners of summer/retirement/ski homes. So I looked elsewhere in the summer of 1994, and was intrigued by a large patch of blue when I looked at a map of Montana. It turned out to be Flathead Lake ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flathead_Lake ) -- the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River -- and it provided the inspiration for spending a week in the tiny little town of Polson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson,_Montana ) , on the southern shore of the lake.
In 1996 and 1997, I spent two full summers in Polson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson,_Montana ) , and grew quite attached to the town and its surrounding mountains, rivers, and lake -- photos of which you can see here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157600220735742 ) and here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157600220875742 ) . You might also be interested in some of my observations about life in Polson and Montana, which I wrote about in blogs titled The Polson Parade ( http://www.yourdon.com/personal/rwj/rwj7496.html ) , and Leaving Montana ( http://www.yourdon.com/personal/rwj/rwj9196.html ) . But then life changed, other things intervened, and I drifted away from Montana altogether.
In the summer of 2010, I had a chance to re-visit Polson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson,_Montana ) , and spend three short days driving around to re-acquaint myself with the area. It's been over a dozen years, so I was expecting some changes ... but in general, the town of about 5,000 people was pretty much the same. My favorite restaurant had closed down, a Mailboxes Etc outlet had been replaced by a video-rental outlet, and the local McDonald's outlet was no longer posting posting all of the bounced checks from desperate customers on its wall (hey, you've got to be desperate if you order a Big Mac with fries, and pay with a check that bounces!). It looked like some of the local ranchers and farmers had sold off some of their acreage, for there were a few new "vacation communities" filling up what had been open meadows and pasture just outside of town.
But the lake had not changed at all, and the Mission Mountains ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Mountains ) along the eastern shore of the lake were as pretty as ever. Just for the heck of it, I got up at 5 AM one morning, and photographed the pre-dawn stillness on the lake, and then the changing colors of clouds above the lake as the sun slowly rose up to peek over the top of the mountains. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to drive down to the Kerr Dam ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerr_Dam ) , and I didn't drive all the way around the north end of the lake: I only made it up to Big Fork on the eastern side, and LakeSide on the western side of the lake. I was going to take the half-day white-water rafting trip down the Flathead River, south of the dam, but there wasn't time for that, either ... Nor was there any time for fishing, or even to rent a jet-ski and zoom around on the broad expanse of water in Polson Bay, at the south end of the lake.
So maybe there will be ample cause to go back to Polson once again, either next year or the year after. But for now, I've got a visual record of the sights and scenes that I saw on this trip. Roughly half of the photos are 5-image handheld HDR composites, and the other half are more traditional digital images, taken during a sunset boat cruise out on the lake.
Enjoy ...](http://yourdon.smugmug.com/Other/Sunsets/i-FSMBgH9/0/Ti/Polson%2C%20Jul%202010%20-%2070_4912890230_o-Ti.jpg "I drove out to this area of the Irwin Flats Road hoping to get some good sunset photos ... but there were so many heavy clouds that it became obvious that it just wasn't going to happen. But the shafts of sunlight that streamed through the clouds were interesting on their own, so that's what I ended up concentrating on, for these last few photos of the visit to Polson...
Note: this photo was published in an undated (Mar 2011) blog titled "#1 Ranked CC Licensed Photo on Flickr from Polson ( http://thepaperboy.com/united-states/polson/photos.cfm?WOEID=2474834 ) ." Roughly 18 other of the HDR photos in this Flickr set were also shown on the blog posting, in a small collage titled "More Amazing Photos of Polson," but I don't have the time or energy right now to add appropriate annotations to all of those photos...
****************
After a 1993 summer vacation in Crested Butte and Ouray, (pictures of which are in this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157600237278336 ) , I decided that while the scenery was spectacular, Colorado was too crowded and over-run by tourists, visitors, and owners of summer/retirement/ski homes. So I looked elsewhere in the summer of 1994, and was intrigued by a large patch of blue when I looked at a map of Montana. It turned out to be Flathead Lake ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flathead_Lake ) -- the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River -- and it provided the inspiration for spending a week in the tiny little town of Polson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson,_Montana ) , on the southern shore of the lake.
In 1996 and 1997, I spent two full summers in Polson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson,_Montana ) , and grew quite attached to the town and its surrounding mountains, rivers, and lake -- photos of which you can see here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157600220735742 ) and here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157600220875742 ) . You might also be interested in some of my observations about life in Polson and Montana, which I wrote about in blogs titled The Polson Parade ( http://www.yourdon.com/personal/rwj/rwj7496.html ) , and Leaving Montana ( http://www.yourdon.com/personal/rwj/rwj9196.html ) . But then life changed, other things intervened, and I drifted away from Montana altogether.
In the summer of 2010, I had a chance to re-visit Polson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polson,_Montana ) , and spend three short days driving around to re-acquaint myself with the area. It's been over a dozen years, so I was expecting some changes ... but in general, the town of about 5,000 people was pretty much the same. My favorite restaurant had closed down, a Mailboxes Etc outlet had been replaced by a video-rental outlet, and the local McDonald's outlet was no longer posting posting all of the bounced checks from desperate customers on its wall (hey, you've got to be desperate if you order a Big Mac with fries, and pay with a check that bounces!). It looked like some of the local ranchers and farmers had sold off some of their acreage, for there were a few new "vacation communities" filling up what had been open meadows and pasture just outside of town.
But the lake had not changed at all, and the Mission Mountains ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Mountains ) along the eastern shore of the lake were as pretty as ever. Just for the heck of it, I got up at 5 AM one morning, and photographed the pre-dawn stillness on the lake, and then the changing colors of clouds above the lake as the sun slowly rose up to peek over the top of the mountains. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to drive down to the Kerr Dam ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerr_Dam ) , and I didn't drive all the way around the north end of the lake: I only made it up to Big Fork on the eastern side, and LakeSide on the western side of the lake. I was going to take the half-day white-water rafting trip down the Flathead River, south of the dam, but there wasn't time for that, either ... Nor was there any time for fishing, or even to rent a jet-ski and zoom around on the broad expanse of water in Polson Bay, at the south end of the lake.
So maybe there will be ample cause to go back to Polson once again, either next year or the year after. But for now, I've got a visual record of the sights and scenes that I saw on this trip. Roughly half of the photos are 5-image handheld HDR composites, and the other half are more traditional digital images, taken during a sunset boat cruise out on the lake.
Enjoy ...")
This view is looking west to New Jersey, with some low hills/mountains in the far background. The barge was fairly stationary in the river, which facilitated my being able to take 9 separate HDR images without suffering any blur...
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
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In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
**************************************
In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.
![This view is looking west to New Jersey, with some low hills/mountains in the far background. The barge was fairly stationary in the river, which facilitated my being able to take 9 separate HDR images without suffering any blur...
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
**************************************
In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.](http://yourdon.smugmug.com/Other/Sunsets/i-gBdWr2K/0/L/New%20Jersey%20skyline%2C%20looking%20west_4295414000_o-L.jpg "This view is looking west to New Jersey, with some low hills/mountains in the far background. The barge was fairly stationary in the river, which facilitated my being able to take 9 separate HDR images without suffering any blur...
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
**************************************
In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.")
This view is looking west to New Jersey, with some low hills/mountains in the far background. The barge was fairly stationary in the river, which facilitated my being able to take 9 separate HDR images without suffering any blur...
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
**************************************
In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.
Note: this photo was published in a Mar 10, 2011 blog titled "NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) ( http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/10/nj-senate-passes-bill-banning-controversial-hydraulic-gas-fracturing-fracking/?shared=email&msg=fail ) ." And it was published in a Mar 16, 2011 blog titled "Fracking Debate Heats Up as New Jersey Seeks Ban ( http://www.truth-out.org/fracking-debate-heats-up-new-jersey-seeks-ban68494 ) ."
**************************************
In late January, I had a little free time at the end of a boring Thursday afternoon -- so I grabbed my tripod and my camera, and headed up to the roof of our apartment building, to see if I would be lucky enough to get some good sunset shots. The sky had been completely clear in the morning, but a few light clouds and haze began to appear as the sun dropped down toward the horizon on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. You just can't tell whether all of the "elements" of a great sunset will come together, or whether it will just be a "blah" event; but I figured I had nothing to lose, so I set everything up about half an hour before sunset and waited to see what would happen.
Our apartment building is 35 stories high, and I can walk around most of the circumference of the roof, to get views in all four directions. But the best views, with the fewest obstacles and distractions, are south and west -- so that's where I spent most of my time composing photos. The south view looks across several medium-height buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a nice panorama in the background of office buildings and skyscrapers on Central Park South and midtown Manhattan. The western view looks across the Hudson River to the New Jersey shoreline -- which, I must say, is fairly boring in the winter season. The eastern view is fairly cluttered and uninteresting; I always enjoy seeing part of the Triboro Bridge in the background, but it's not prominent enough to warrant photographing. And finally, the northern view picks up the George Washington Bridge, and the northward route up the Hudson River.
Though it was definitely cold when I took these photos, it wasn't bitter; and there were apparently no weather fronts coming in from the west to create dramatic colors and patterns in the sky. It was also not as lush and beautiful as the scene in summer (see this Flickr set ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157620902423019/ ) , taken from the same spot on my apartment roof, to see what it's like in summertime). But it was ... well, peaceful ... and I'm glad I did it. I'll come back again, from time to time, when the sky looks more interesting...
P.S. A technical note: because I was using a tripod, and because there was no wind to shake things up, all of these photos were created as 9-shot HDR tonemapping composites. I'm sure that was overkill; I could probably have created approximately the same effect with a 5-shot composite, or perhaps even 3 shots. But I was curious to see whether the additional shots (which allowed me to cover four full f-stops of tonal range) would make any visible difference.