Winter Sunset

Yesterday, we had quite a lovely sunset.  I was lucky enough to have noticed it (actually Jeff noticed it first and told me to grab my camera) in time to capture it.  It was all over in the span of about 15-20 minutes.  The first image below is at what I call the beginning of the spectacular part of the sunset.  I love the lines in the sky and how it adds a bit of texture to the color.  Oh, by the way, these were the natural colors - no special effects!

The second image really captures the bands of different colors that were in the sunset, ranging from the almost apricot looking color close to the horizon to the deep blue, almost purple in the upper part of the image.  If you look closely at the image, you can see just a dot of color in the dark section - it's a bit of the sunset reflecting in the window of one of the houses. 

In this next image, I feel like 2 of the best parts of New Mexican sunsets are displayed.  The BIG skies we have here, and the colors of our sunsets (and sunrises, too).  I love the way the different colors are reflecting in the clouds and the bluer background sky, turning even darker toward the right hand side of the image (which is east).

And, finally, here are the last remnants of the sunset.  You can see the rosy glow right along the horizon.  I especially loved the bands of blue/grey as the night is overtaking the sunset.  It seems to be telling us the excitement of the day is over, and it's time to kick back and relax.

Enjoy!