A few weeks before we left Bozeman, we were treated to a pretty spectacular sunset. I had just put my kids to bed and noticed this really beautiful glow through the window shades. I peeked out, saw the bright pink sky, grabbed my camera and ran to the end of the street to capture the last few moments of its glory.
A fantastic Montana sunset. They just don’t make ‘em like that anywhere else. Or so I thought. . .
Last week, while still getting settled into our new house in California, we had just finished dinner and once again, I sensed this amazing light outside. I ran to the backyard to find the most incredible sky. I debated jumping in my car and high tailing it to the beach, but I feared the 1.6 mile drive was just a bit too far to make before the color would be gone. I was right, because about 2 minutes after this was taken, the sky grew gray and darkened.
So, dear California, thank you for proving me wrong about Montana’s fantastic sunsets. I guess you can put on a pretty darn good show yourself. I’ve given myself a personal challenge now to capture a night like this along the surf. You’ll show me these colors again sometime soon, right? 
great shots. what ISO were you using?
Thanks, Martha!
The Montana shot was ISO 800 f/5.0 at 1/80. The California show was ISO 400 f/8 at 1/100. These settings gave the truest color of the sky, closely matching how it looked to my eye, although the ground/tree came out a bit darker than it actually appeared to the eye.