Door County - Double Sunset

This aerial image was a happy late-in-the-day capture. After spending a beautiful autumn afternoon hiking the trails in Newport State Park in Door County we made a stop at Sand Bay Town Park, just south of the Mink River Estuary. The plan: Tale a quick look-see for any aerial photo ops that might present themselves before sunset.

I pulled into the park with low expectations - the sun was setting fast. After a few shots looking westward I noticed that the clouds on the east were illuminated with an even brighter glow than those facing the sunset. I began to take dozens of bracketed exposures, hoping to be able to later combine them into a faithful representation of the phenomenon. The panoramic image above is the result.

The setting sun was backlighting the tall clouds on the east - causing them to glow with an intensity that made it look like a sunset and a sunrise were occurring simultaneously. This visual treat did not last very long. Definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time. A friend who lives not far from this location and spends a good deal of time hiking the area reports that he too has observed this phenomena from time to time.

The viewpoint in the image is from just offshore at Sand Bay Town Park looking north over the tip of the Door County peninsula. I recently printed this image at 16x60 inches and the detail is remarkable. Washington Island, Detroit Island, Plum Island and Rear Range Light, Pilot Island and Lighthouse, Europe Lake, Newport State Park, Mink River Estuary, and Rowley’s Bay are all visible.

A framed and matted artist studio-created fine art print is on display at Gallery 1802 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.