During my last long road trip, I experienced my most spectacular sunset. Over the years, I've seen and photographed many sunsets, but the one at Scripps Pier on August 2, 2017 in La Jolla, California takes the cake! A professional photographer who was positioned right next to me mentioned that it was the best sunset that he saw in more than a few years.

A year ago, my travels took me to this same location. That sunset looked to be a promising one, but as the sun approached the horizon a thick fog settled over the water. All color was removed from the sky and most of the photographers left the scene before the sun was fully set. This time was a different story and I was rewarded for revisiting this site.

This sunset presented many phases...each with different colors and contrasts. The full photo shoot lasted well over 90 minutes. At times, the tide rolled over my shoes. Despite getting my shoes filled with salt water, I wasn't going to move an inch until I had captured photographs of this sunset!

It started with mostly overcast conditions and a very cool, pastel look. I was pleased with the lighting:

Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017 Before long, the colors deepened and the orange color intensified near the horizon. I didn't expect it to get much better than this:

Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017 Then, the sky started radiating with color that was reflecting on the beach all around us. This lighting was beyond anything I have ever experienced:

Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017 Then, the clouds started to break up. This made for a more dramatic looking sky:

Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017 The scene softened a bit just before sunset:

Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017 I kept shooting after the sun dropped below the horizon:

Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017 For my parting photograph, I stepped to the side of the pier for a different perspective. The camera sensor was able to pick up more of the light and color than I could see with my eyes. It was practically pitch dark during this exposure:

Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017 I suspect that these photographs would look great printed on metal!