Yes, Virga, There Is A Sunset

This, I think, will be the first time I've posted pictures from Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, in Shoreline. It's a small park, pretty well-developed, and can sometimes be overrun by parties and teenagers. Still, the western view is of course great, and the more natural parts of the park get a bit better each year as plant communities establish themselves.

These are my two favorites of the sunset itself. I decided I would take it through grass, and I used a graduated neutral density filter to bring out the grass in the foreground. (A graduated neutral density filter has a dark top half and clear bottom half; the edge between the two is gradual. In this case, it darkened the sunset, allowing me to fill in the foreground grass a bit more without overexposing the sunset). These two were taken no more than minutes apart; I think I like the light in the first one better, but there are a couple blurry heads of grass in the way. In the second picture, I employed my younger brother to hold them out of my way, but the light had changed by that time.

The clouds were interesting immediately after sunset. It looked like they were altocumulus clouds producing "virga," or precipitation that heats and evaporates before it reaches the ground. "Virga" refers to the visible wisps/tendrils extending downward from the clouds: