Althouse: The sunset, just now.

October 15, 2007

The sunset, just now.

(This picture is straight out of the digital camera and unretouched.)

(Enlarge.)

29 comments:

dbp said...: Hi Ann,

From that vantage point the sun should only set perfectly behind the Statue of Liberty twice per year. I would guess that as this year wears-on, the sun will set increasingly to the left of the statue.; 10/15/07, 5:57 PM
hdhouse said...: there is a stonehenge in your future.; 10/15/07, 6:45 PM
Meade said...: Delightful.; 10/15/07, 6:51 PM
ricpic said...: An American Turner

The sky was smeared with sirrus clouds,
Diffuse the late sun's glare;
And backlit, there stood Liberty:
Our Fighting Temeraire.; 10/15/07, 6:59 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/15/07, 7:06 PM
hdhouse said...: That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
....; 10/15/07, 7:12 PM
Simon said...: Absolutely perfect. Just beautiful.; 10/15/07, 7:14 PM
Palladian said...: "From that vantage point the sun should only set perfectly behind the Statue of Liberty twice per year. I would guess that as this year wears-on, the sun will set increasingly to the left of the statue."

[Waits for someone to tease out exquisite political metaphor from this comment]; 10/15/07, 7:14 PM
Gedaliya said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/15/07, 7:17 PM
Gedaliya said...: Not long from now (a few more minutes) the sun will rise here in Hyderabad. As I watch it peek above the horizon I'll think of it sinking below my beloved Statue of Liberty back home.

Great shot Ann.; 10/15/07, 7:19 PM
J. Cricket said...: The pictures here are so often doctored--I mean, "retouched"--that we need to be told when they are not. But why should we believe you, since you doctor photos all the time?; 10/15/07, 8:36 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Lovely photo Ann.

Gedaliya, I assume you mean Hyderabad, India. Wish I was there. Took some nice sunset photos out by the fort, with the tombs in between me and the sunset. I believe they were the Qutub Shahi Tombs.; 10/15/07, 8:38 PM
Palladian said...: In the cavalcade of stupid sniping by our old friend, the creepily obsessive "AJD", who probably changes his screen-name more often than he changes his underwear, this has to be one of the most hilariously stupid. It's hard to imagine someone whose aesthetic sensibility is so deadened that they would consider adjusting artistic photographs to be "doctoring". Artistic photography is not photojournalism, it is not the feed from a surveillance camera. There are practically no great photographers who produced their prints without "doctoring" them in one way or another. That's how the creative process works, darling. The idea that photography should be "pure" and "unadulterated" is as stupid as insisting that you will only use towels made from organic cotton. Art doesn't exist without artifice.

Doctor away, all ye photo-graphers.; 10/15/07, 9:05 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Great shot! If only that little thingie wasn't sticking up in the midddle.

*ducks*; 10/15/07, 9:23 PM
MadisonMan said...: Marvelous. Sailors everywhere are delighted.; 10/15/07, 9:32 PM
Gedaliya said...: Gedaliya, I assume you mean Hyderabad, India. Wish I was there. Took some nice sunset photos out by the fort, with the tombs in between me and the sunset. I believe they were the Qutub Shahi Tombs.

Yes, I am here in India, where I work about 4-5 months a year in stretches of 3 weeks or so at a time. I love this strange and exotic place and feel lucky I've got a chance at this time of my life to experience India so intimately.

I've been to Golconda many times, but never to the tombs. Have you ever made the walk to the top of the Fort? It takes about an hour to make the walk up ancient steep steps, and once you are there you can see for miles all around. The entire panorama of the teeming city of Hyderabad is before you...and it is breathtaking.; 10/15/07, 9:49 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Yep, I've climbed to the top of the fort. I suspect the city was further away when I visited in 1990. I'd like to go back.; 10/15/07, 10:28 PM
Simon said...: Gedaliya - doesn't that involve flying halfway around the Earth on a fairly regular basis? I mean, kudos. I couldn't do it, I hate to fly.; 10/15/07, 10:29 PM
Gedaliya said...: Gedaliya - doesn't that involve flying halfway around the Earth on a fairly regular basis?

Yes, it does. I fly from JFK on Emirates Airlines to Dubai...a 13 hour flight west to east, layover there for a couple of hours, and then catch a four hour flight to Hyderabad. The entire exercise (to-and-from airport, connection time, waiting, etc.) is about 24 hours from start to finish.

I could never do it without my Bose noise-cancelling earphones, my blindfold, and plenty of alcohol. Being a frequent flier also has enormous benefit as well, as I am allowed access to the Business Class lounges in all three airports , JFK, Dubai and Hyderabad.; 10/15/07, 10:37 PM
Bob said...: The perfect moment to snap the photo, although I would imagine it's one of a series you took over the course of a few minutes, if you're as conscientious a photographer as I imagine. Lovely photo.; 10/15/07, 10:55 PM
Anonymous said...: The best thing about digital is that you can burn several pics to try to ensure getting a good one. The sky is great in that shot. More and more I find that I wish I had brought along my camera when the light hits something just right.

Even my kids noticed and mentioned a potential shot today as we zipped by a farmer as he was baling hay. The geometric pattern on the hillside and the low angle of the sun casting long shadows from the winrows almost made me go back and grab the camera.; 10/15/07, 11:15 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: Horrifying.

This "spectacular" picture doesn't hide the extensive noise pollution: Helicopters buzzing at all hours of the day or night. Motor boats. Oil Derricks. Noisy neighbors. Thin Walls. 24-hour trains that make the whole building shake at recurring intervals. Environmental chemicals and fumes from the over-industrialized Hudson.

The noise is so oppressive that not even the strongest earplugs make a dent.

The unbearable pollution which has sapped Althouse energy, and gets into your lungs.

You can always get a good view by putting up a large mural. But how do you get away from the smothering pollution that's choking your life and killing you?

Fondly,
Maxine; 10/15/07, 11:15 PM
Revenant said...: Ann,

Maybe I'm misremembering, but weren't you originally an art major? Was photography your area of interest then, or is it just something you've gotten interested in over the years?

Apologies if you covered that before. Just curious. You've got a good eye for interesting photos.; 10/16/07, 4:30 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I was an art major in college, but I never did photography. I didn't even have a camera. In fact, I chose not to take the photography classes because didn't want to spend my scarce funds on a camera (and other equipment). I did painting and drawing... and I rarely do those things anymore. I never did much photography until digital. And I have never gone anywhere near the film developing chemicals.

About tweaking digital photo files in the computer: This is a crucial step. I wish I knew how to do fancier things, but I don't like spending a lot of time on it. My preference is to get into situations where I see a lot of things -- I like the heightened vision that comes from this -- and taking a lot of pictures. Then there is an artisitc process in selecting the best ones, cropping, and making some adjustments (especially in contrast and brightness). If you don't do these adjustments, most digital pictures look flat and dull.; 10/16/07, 5:14 AM
hdhouse said...: Palladian said...
".."AJD", who probably changes his screen-name more often than he changes his underwear..."

Palladian, the problem is that he doesn't change his underwear at all but only on the days that the sun sets directly through the torch...hence his snippy attitude...183 days is a bit of a stretch even for him.; 10/16/07, 5:26 AM
Sixty Bricks said...: one of the best statue of liberty photos i have seen. bravo; 10/16/07, 9:20 AM
The Pretentious Ignoramus said...: You should start painting again.; 10/16/07, 3:13 PM
Galvanized said...: That one actually put a lump in my throat. Very touching.; 10/16/07, 3:50 PM
Original Mike said...: I would guess that as this year wears-on, the sun will set increasingly to the left of the statue.

Guess? What part of celestial mechanics are you uncertain about, dbp?; 10/16/07, 4:11 PM