Have you ever visited a lake at sunset when the fish are biting and the skies are ablaze with light?  Recently, I took just such an opportunity.  I found myself a beautiful local lake scene when the fish were biting.  Also, I brought along my camera as I knew I might potentially want it.  I was right.  Check out what I came back with.

Upon arriving, I noticed a fisherman out on the lake with his boat and his dogs.  Apparently, he had a fruitful haul with about 7 fish caught.  My traveling companions had much less luck fishing from shore as the line either tangled in the weeds below or the fish ate the bait but didn’t come close enough to catch the hook.  Oh well.  At least I didn’t walk away empty-handed.

Thanks to monsoon season around here, you never can tell when, but we get very dramatic skies and sunsets.  The sky lights up the clouds and they look as though they’re on fire.  Since there was a wildfire in this very area earlier this year, this hits especially close to home.  It also prevented me from trying for more lake photos there this summer.  Authorities closed off the road.

The fire in the sky started towards the northern end of things.  The clouds there lit up brightly with the warm colors of sunset.

I simply couldn’t resist and pulled out my camera for some serious landscape photography work.  However, I kept my eyes on the southern end of things.  There were far more clouds out that way and one might argue a better scene too.  If those clouds lit up like the northern clouds, I was ready.

It’s a good thing I was ready too as those clouds lit up better than the northern clouds.  Also, I took advantage of the shoreline for some foreground interest.  It was a beautiful and glorious sunset.  But I wasn’t done when the sun finally disappeared below the horizon.  Blue hour still had something in store for me.

With the rising moon above the nearby trees, I found the perfect angle to capture it.  I knew I wanted the trees in silhouette so that it would reflect the failing light.  So, I captured that last calming sigh of the forest just as night falls.  It’s both peaceful and tranquil while still remaining dark.

Overall, it was a very fruitful sunset trip to the lake for me.  These landscape photos make excellent additions to my portfolio.  I’ll keep coming back there for more in the future.  So, what do you think of these sunset lake photos?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.