This photograph represents one of the strangest skies I have seen in a long time. With heavy, rain clouds on the horizon and the sun shining through a cloud “hole” at the sunset the clouds and the rain were turned a tone of pink.
Often when a photograph of a sunset or sunrise is posted the only reaction the photographer gets is “Oh, OK. Yet another sun rise”. From time to time weather phenomenons change that simple yet beautiful sunset or sunrise into something totally unique. Take this cloud formation which looks as if it had a clearly defined straight edge and the rain would pour over that edge. I have never seen a cloud formed like that. Not only was the rain coming from that edge but also behind it there was a beautiful sunset highlighting layers upon layers of Blue Mountains in the distance.
What a strange weather we had this evening. First from a fairly normal day the sky turned almost black and served short but torrential rain followed by electric storm. Then out of nowhere just before sunset a narrow clearing in the low cloud cover provided for this colourful and very dramatic sunset.
As we were sitting down to Christmas Eve supper, which in our tradition is a bigger event then the actual Christmas Day a lost dog was scratching to the door, possibly attracted by the smell of the food. Children found the dog very entertaining and discovered it was well trained and to their amusement it responded to many commands.
While I was watching them play in front of the house I went a big further down the driveway to check out some unusual light. Once my vision was not obstructed by all the houses around I was treated to this Christmas Eve sunset.
Votive Church (Votivkirche), Vienna, Austria
This Apocalyptic scene, with a cloud like a ball of fire descending over the Votive Church in Vienna was very ominous. We woke up next day to 40C plus temperatures, which lasted for the next week. Unlike Australia, most European countries are very poorly prepared for such heat wave. The air conditioned facilities are sparse to say the least. Our escape was to a local pool which was located on a converted barge On Danube river. Yes, on the “Beautiful Blue Danube” (An der schönen blauen Donau), as named by a famous waltz by Johann Strauss. The only thing is it is rather disappointingly murky brown and very uninviting.
I have a special attachment to Austria as I have lived here for almost two years when I was younger. I still consider it one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and the heat wave did not deter me from showing my family the beauty of this city and country. In next few articles I will bring more scenic photos but for now I leave you with the “fire in the sky” Viennese sunset.
My kids really like this particular spot. There is lots to explore or simply to spot a crab or other sea creature. It certainly makes a good break from playing computer games or watching TV.
There was a photographer there who setup with a tripod and pointed it at the sea (towards the East at sunset). This struck me as bit odd however, he was onto something. There was unusual level of smog over the see on the horizon and thus the evening sun rendered it as stripes of red shades. Lucky for me and unlucky for him the seagulls put up a show between where I was sitting and the sea resulting in this landscape photograph.
Most of my photos from Sydney streets are captured during lunchtime. Today however I stayed back at work a couple of hours. Leaving just before the sunset I’ve noticed this interesting play of light and shadows created by scaffolding posts. To complete the picture there was a woman walking in the distance with her hair contours highlighted by the sun.
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