Arabia Mountain Sunset

I've always thought that the distinction (well, one of the distinctions) between the photos of professional landscape photographers and amateurs is the 'unusual...
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I've always thought that the distinction (well, one of the distinctions) between the photos of professional landscape photographers and amateurs is the 'unusual' factor in the images. Amateurs like me only visit once or for several days, whereas professional photographers can devote entire weeks to returning to the same spots waiting for the best conditions - rainbows, fog, crazy sunsets, etc. But sometimes, we amateurs still get lucky just by being in the right place at the right time! This is one such image.

This was an unreal, amazing sunset last night at Arabia Mountain, east of Atlanta, GA. There had been large storms for the past several days right around sunset, so I drove to the park around 6 PM hoping to get the same conditions (I also checked the radar and saw some nasty storms that looked like they would clear the area around sunset). The large thunderstorm cell is still visible as the ominous dark area on the left.

When it's dry at Arabia Mountain in the summer, the potholes usually dry up. Thankfully, heavy ran right before I got here filled the potholes and generated wispy fog clouds over all of the surrounding hills. You can also see light reflected from the other potholes on the sloping side of the mountain. The sun set right through this large hole in the storm, flooding the sky and mountain with soft yellow, gold, and pink light. The reddish hues in the rock caught this light and were really glowing. It was definitely the best sunset I've ever had the privilege to photograph!

If you haven't already, you can go check out my Facebook Photography Page at:

www.facebook.com/pvarneyphotography

Thanks!
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