It was late in the day and the cold November sky in southeastern Idaho was full of clouds that would bring snow to the area. As we cruised eastward on U.S. Route 26 from Idaho Falls across the plains to the Grand Tetons and the Wyoming border, I could tell that the sun was dropping lower to the horizon. The moisture in the air was capturing and diffusing the sun’s rays behind the clouds, and the colors in the sky began to light up. With or without the clouds this was going to be a spectacular sunset.
I was becoming very anxious at the opportunity to photograph something special. However, there wasn’t much character to be found. Then out of nowhere I spotted an old, abandoned building. I slowed down quickly to see if this could be “the shot.” Looking in the rearview mirror, the silhouette of the building against the glowing sky was perfect. Abruptly I turned the car around. My lovely other half, Alley, knew what I was doing. I grabbed my camera and tripod, bounced out of the car, and leaped over a barbed wire fence bolting into the field to get the shot before I lost the light of day.
I found the perfect spot to capture the setting sun behind the old, abandoned building in the field... but I wasn’t alone. Another photographer, a local, had the same idea and vision. His name escapes me. He was very friendly and didn’t mind sharing the spot with me. As we both set up our equipment, he went on to tell me that he had been shooting this same building for quite some time. He wasn’t sure what the building had been in its day, but that it was a favorite spot of his for photographing the sunset. We continued to talk about our adventures as we awaited the finale.
The sky was on fire! The sun was setting behind the precipice of the storm clouds. The colors of the sky melted from hot white, to bright yellow, and into various hues of vibrant orange to dark burnt orange. I took a few shots, continuing to adjust my settings so that the building would not become a mere dark blob. Then, I found perfection. I was satisfied. I turned to my new friend and thanked him for sharing his story and the sunset. I went back to the car with a smile on my face, knowing that I had witnessed and captured something special... I had just discovered “Fire In The Sky.”
"Fire In The Sky" is one of my favorite landscape photos to date. The beauty of sunsets never cease to amaze me. It also helps being in the right place at the right time as well. This spectacular sunset was shot in Southeastern Idaho near the Idaho-Wyoming border and has been featured multiple times in print and in social media.
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