I would love to tell you that I had setup early in the evening at this spot, anxiously awaiting that pivotal moment of glow after the sunset. That I had a hunch, the sky would become intensely radioactive and it was just a matter of time. That the music I was listening to at the very moment the clouds exploded, crescendoed into a raucous yet subdued pattern of notes, overtly mirroring the clouds. But that just wasn't the case. Sometimes with photography the moment preceding the capture isn't very glamorous.

Having an itch to get out in the field and from not shooting this year, I decided around 3:00 to catch the 4:55 sunset. I got my gear ready and headed out to Busch Wildlife to continue my project of shooting all of the lakes.

After leaving one lake because of the people already there, walking to another, getting a few good shots, and after the sun dipped behind the treeline, I got back in my truck, flipped through the photos for a few, and decided to call it an evening.

Looking towards the treeline after coming into a clearing, the sky's color became more prominent and not much time had passed before it was full blown nuclear. With such an amazing sky, I figured, "why not see it twice?” OK, maybe not at that time, but I knew a reflection would be fun. I sped up and began whipping around the gravel roads, leaving clouds of dust. Deciding to stop at Lake 38, or rather the next lake I found, I grabbed the camera and ran down to the shore. Just to find out that sky was obscured and the water was a thin sheet of ice with no reflection at all, double whammy! Looking in the direction of the sun I remembered lake 37 was nearby. Instead of getting back in the truck and driving, I opted to sprint through the woods in hopes of popping out at the edge. As quickly as the sky changed color I figured it wouldn't last long.

I made it to the lake, just to be welcomed by more ice. Thwarted again! Peering down the ice there was an opening that looked promising, but near the other end. I began sprinting again, reaching the spot and being quite satisfied with the view. After setting up, panting from exertion, and shaking from adrenaline, I started to snap away. Shots for a panorama, some verts, some horizontals, a whole grab bag of goodies. After feeling content with what I had, I watched the color fade away for a few more minutes and walked back through the woods to my truck.

Given this was my first work of 2011, I started to let ideas of fate dig their way into my head, aggrandizing the moment. After pulling my head out of the "clouds", I soon realized this was nothing more than an episode of luck. Cardiovascular, running around like a mental patient luck. I truly enjoy this photo, but like most others, it just doesn't do the moment justice. Sure there are other factors affecting my interpretation, but the sky was truly something great to witness. If this was an indication of how this year in photos will go, I’ll be in great shape in no time.