The Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000

Last week Friday Jon and I drove over to Magnolia to photograph Discovery Park. It is hard not to notice Discovery Park when looking at a map of Seattle; it’s a big chunk of green on the western edge of the city. Fort Lawton, an old army outpost, is also located in there.

After the sunset the sky became a bland gray so we started hiking east along the bluff in search of another vista. I happened to turn around and notice the wild red streaks emanating from where the sun vanished behind the mountains. My impatience almost cost me this shot; some of the best light occurs 10-15 minutes after the sun has set. To get the growth in the foreground to light up I used the built-in flash on the D300. I held the camera upside down so the flash would pick up the ground. I have to admit, I thought I was pretty clever standing on this bluff holding my camera upside and firing the flash; although I don’t doubt I also looked ridiculous.