I noticed most of today, we had clear, cloudless skies, but I knew that we might have some clouds move in for a spectacular sunset. So as I drove home from work, I pondered "Should I go shoot a sunset of Seattle from Beacon Hill, or should I go to Whidbey Island and shoot a sunset shot of Admiralty Head Lighthouse?" So this thought is going back and forth in my head as I drive north getting closer to Seattle, watching the clouds develop in the sky, then I pass right on by the exit to take for Beacon Hill. Okay, I am going to Whidbey Island. That was an adventure as I drove through rush hour traffic and then had to wait for the Mukilteo, yes there is a lighthouse there as well, car ferry to be transported across Puget Sound to Whidbey Island. All the while the clouds are really getting interesting and I still have 20 miles to drive to get to the lighthouse once I get back on dry land.
I finally make it to the lighthouse after getting stuck behind cars going "The Speed Limit!" Don't these guys know that I am a Speed Demon right now and sunset is in 15minutes? It is okay my Flickr friends, I drove safely and did follow the speed limit, 90% of the time, and got to the lighthouse with 10 minutes to spare. Once I arrived, that is when the sun was putting on it's show, so I quickly set up my tripod and captured this.
I used three exposures -2,0, +2, merged in Photomatix, a little color saturation, and Photoshop to remove a plywood covered window pane and to compress the image.
I again want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken the time to view my photo stream and make comments. I appreciate them and am humbled by all of the great work out there. Your work inspires me to be the best that I can be. Thank you.