Layering dusk from sea to sky in San Pancho
Sunsets on the Mexico’s west coast can be spectacular. We were able to enjoy a couple of them when we were in San Pancho last week. Ribbons of cloud were first painted gentle shades of rose and violet above the blue ocean as it stretched out towards the sky. It was a muted palette but whispered a suggestion of what may come.

A few minutes later, as the day slipped away, twilight deepened those colors. Deep purple and electric pinks growing from their soft predecessors. The foamy water of the Pacific blurred and reflected some of the color across the surface.

Increasing darkness allowed for longer exposures. The colors revealed were now beyond what my eyes could see. A glow coming into the photographs along with smoothing in the clouds and the water. The town’s lights caught on the breaking surf.

A couple of minutes later, the sky was much darker to the eye. The long exposures continued to reveal the rich colors of this beautiful evening’s sunset.

From the archives: Port Angeles sunrise

I have to admit to missing the ocean badly right now. The pandemic has interrupted a couple of trips to the coast but a stroll through my image library helped. I landed on some images from a morning two Aprils ago where I was on the narrow strip of land where the Ediz Hook Reservation for Native Birds borders against a US Coast Guard Air Station.
The sun rose just after 6 am. I was on the shore by 5 and enjoyed watching twilight brighten the night sky. The hour seemed to glide quickly past – as is often the case when I’m out photographing landscapes. Not before I had managed a few different scenes of the blue hour on this interesting spot along the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
When the sun was up, I did a little beach combing. Walking through the wash of the tide, I found a few interesting miniature scenes. This one was a favorite of mine.





