Serenity

No matter how long I live near the water, I still need to remind myself that even in the off-season, when the temperature starts to dip, I can jump in my car and in ten minutes I'll be where the water meets the sky, where there's some serenity for me and plenty for you too. 

In fact if you visit my other blog, Recovery Thru My Lens, you'll read the same words but find another view of this scene. I couldn't chose between the two, so I posted one on each site. Let me know which one you prefer...

Silhouette

Following my proclamation on New Year's Eve that I try to avoid the sunset cliche, yep, here's my very next image that appeared across the street. It's a silhouette, a common technique associated with sunsets, of my neighbor's roofline this afternoon. Taken with my telephoto lens at ISO 400 and a slow shutter speed of 1/25 second, it required a steady hand to maintain sharpness.
So why a sunset today? Well, cold, dry weather produces crisper, more vibrant sunrises and sunsets than other times of the year. After doing some quick research to find out why, I found this explanation from Outdoor Photographer:
During the winter, the sun remains low in the sky, which provides a more favorable angle of light. It also hovers closer to the horizon at sunrise and sunset, extending the time at which you can shoot with warmer light.
Also a quick plug for a workshop I'm giving, Blogging for Artists, this Saturday at the East End Arts Council. Any fellow artists out there interested in creating their own blog, come and find out how easy and fun it can be! Details in the News section here.