Post-Apocalyptic Sunset - Leica CL, CV 10mm

[Godfrey]

With all the California wildfires of the past several weeks and 100°F plus temperatures, I've been hiding out at home in filtered AC air most of the past few days. Yesterday temps dropped into the low 80°Fs/high 70°F range about 6:00pm and I went for a short walk. The particulates in the air offered up a post-apocalyptic sunset ... another "joy" of 2020.

Crossing El Camino at Pierce - Santa Clara 2020


The Sun Sets Into Dust - Santa Clara 2020


Looking NorthWest on Harrison - Santa Clara 2020


Contrail Across The Remains Of Sky Blue - Santa Clara 2020

All with Leica CL using the Voigtländer HyperWide 10mm f/5.6 Aspheric, @ f/8.​

I won't say enjoy ... !

G

 

[agentlossing]

Same stuff going on in southwestern Oregon right now. Here's to safety and cleaner air for all of us soon, it's to be hoped! These are cool images.

 

[charjohncarter]

We are worse today (Danville, CA). And yesterday was bad. I tried a few shots but none as dramatic as yours. Nice work.

 

[zuiko85]

Kind of sad that some of the best photographic sunsets are caused by some of the worst air quality.
We have had an air quality alert here in western Washington but not near as bad as your area.

 

[robert blu]

Good shots, first one witn empty streets is very impressive.

Stay safe, wish you a better situation soon.

 

[madNbad]

The colloquialism for what we're having in Portland is called a "wind event". This happens when cold, high pressure air is trapped in the basin of the intermountain west and then comes racing through the Columbia Gorge. The gorge is the only natural opening in the Cascade mountain chain which extends from California to British Columbia. For the last two days we have had sustained winds of twenty miles an hour with gust approaching fifty. We have trees and power lines down leaving some neighbors without power for almost two days. Add this to the existing thirty or so wildfires and that is hasn't rained in over two months making for a dangerous situation. The wind is keeping the smoke at bay. Farther down the Willamette valley, towns are darkened by smoke, lending a look of twilight in the middle of the day. Even farther south, down around where Gerry and Colton live, the interstate highway is closed because the smoke is reducing visibility. Out to clean up a pile of blown down branches from the fir trees. As I tell my sister, who lives back east, at least we don't have hurricanes.

 

[charjohncarter]

Kind of sad that some of the best photographic sunsets are caused by some of the worst air quality.
We have had an air quality alert here in western Washington but not near as bad as your area.

I worked at a gas station in LA before the smog was removed. And the swing shift was like Jimmy said; a Purple Haze: beautiful.

 

[madNbad]

I was still living just outside of Philadelphia when Mount Saint Helens erupted. There were spectacular sunsets for weeks.

 

[charjohncarter]

Farther down the Willamette valley, towns are darkened by smoke, lending a look of twilight in the middle of the day. Even farther south, down around where Gerry and Colton live, the interstate highway is closed because the smoke is reducing visibility.

My friend in Eugene sent me some photos this morning, very similar to us 5-6 days ago: a lot of gray smoke.

 

[agentlossing]

The colloquialism for what we're having in Portland is called a "wind event". This happens when cold, high pressure air is trapped in the basin of the intermountain west and then comes racing through the Columbia Gorge. The gorge is the only natural opening in the Cascade mountain chain which extends from California to British Columbia. For the last two days we have had sustained winds of twenty miles an hour with gust approaching fifty. We have trees and power lines down leaving some neighbors without power for almost two days. Add this to the existing thirty or so wildfires and that is hasn't rained in over two months making for a dangerous situation. The wind is keeping the smoke at bay. Farther down the Willamette valley, towns are darkened by smoke, lending a look of twilight in the middle of the day. Even farther south, down around where Gerry and Colton live, the interstate highway is closed because the smoke is reducing visibility. Out to clean up a pile of blown down branches from the fir trees. As I tell my sister, who lives back east, at least we don't have hurricanes.

Virtually all of western Oregon is experiencing this "few times a century" weather event. Even right on the coast in Bandon we have around 24% humidity and eastern winds, with temps up to about 90 on Tuesday. A fire cropped up a few miles outside town and is boxed in but not yet contained as of today. This is the wettest, coolest part of Oregon, dry and hot with eastern wind. So strange.

 

[markjwyatt]

Walked out Sunday, and saw this. Ran back in, grabbed my XT-2, an M42 300mm lens and adapter and caught the sun just as it was sinking behind this house on a hill above me:


Bloody Red Sun of Burning LA by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr

 

[Godfrey]

Very intense shot!

It sure is weird outside today. Felt like 8pm at noon, and as if I had orange/yellow safety glasses on. I'm staying in the rest of the day!

G

 

[charjohncarter]

Very intense shot!

It sure is weird outside today. Felt like 8pm at noon, and as if I had orange/yellow safety glasses on. I'm staying in the rest of the day!

G

It is something about the high smoke is acting like a camera filter. It filters out the blue and red, and lets the yellow, orange and some other wave lengths to produce brown. It has so brown here today in the brightest room in my house I had to use the lamp to read my latest libidinous, lascivious novella.

 

[NaChase]

It is something about the high smoke is acting like a camera filter. It filters out the blue and red, and lets the yellow, orange and some other wave lengths to produce brown. It has so brown here today in the brightest room in my house I had to use the lamp to read my latest libidinous, lascivious novella.

I'm just up the road in Alamo and it is gross outside, though at least it's now noticeably day time.

 

[charjohncarter]

I'm just up the road in Alamo and it is gross outside, though at least it's now noticeably day time.

Yes, it has improved in the last hour. I drove to Concord today at 9:30 it was really dark on the way.

 

[Godfrey]

Outdoor light right now, in Santa Clara @ 3:30 pm, is blood orange color with illumination level about the same as last evening at 8:30pm. I'm living on Mars, that's all. Now if only the gravity would drop to 1/3g, I could enjoy the experience. 🙂

G

 

[Moto-Uno]

That last pic looks like what they experience in Beijing frequently . Was at the airport there a few years ago and you could stare at the afternoon sun without squinting and I won't even get into the taste of the air there . We got some of your Washington air here in Burnaby B.C yesterday , it tasted like a campfire !
Peter

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Outdoor light right now, in Santa Clara @ 3:30 pm, is blood orange color with illumination level about the same as last evening at 8:30pm. I'm living on Mars, that's all. Now if only the gravity would drop to 1/3g, I could enjoy the experience. 🙂

G

Cue for : The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

All the best,
Mike

 

[markjwyatt]

Another smoky sunset. Did not find a great vantage point with the time I had, but this works:


Hillside Sunset by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr

 

[markjwyatt]

Late this afternoon (~3:30 PM PST) the lighting was really eerie. Very bright, but diffuse and smoky brownish.


Fountain Smoky Sun by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr