Simple Pleasures: Sunset Behind the Trees

Loring Park Part I: One of those perfectly situated moments where the sun begins to set and shines straight through between the trees at Loring Park, creating a gorgeous sun flare and golden colors.

Dream State of Life: Animated Clouds at Sunset

Anime-inspired skies continue to take over our world. 

The most glorious and dramatic sunsets happen in areas surrounded by mountains as high-altitude clouds spiral rapidly from golden hour to beyond. 

I altered the hues of this sparkling sunset, adding extra light blue touches, purple-pink afterglows, sparkles, and sun flares to create a dreamy, ethereal state of life. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

Anime Skies: Pink + Purple Sunsets in Real Life

Wishing for anime skies in real life. 

I love the spectacular, vibrant, and super saturated sunset skies in anime, where the clouds are sparkling and ever-inspiring. 

I decided to alter this photo of the sunset at the lake by enhancing the contrast and colors, embellishing it with sparkles, sun flare effects, and more for an extra dream factor. 

The Manipulation Effect: Magical Twin Stairways

The Myriad Botanical Garden is everything you would dream of. Tranquil, tropical, and filled with all of nature's surprises. 

Unique plants are tucked into every corner of the conservatory with picturesque staircases throughout. I decided to manipulate this photo by duplicating the stairwell, adding sun flare effects and lightening the tones for a magical twist. 

Magical Clouds in the Pastel Sky

Spotted some of the most awe-inspiring clouds while in the air and had to capture this aerial view right away. 

I decided to manipulate it a bit, adding in some extra sun flare, lightening up the image, and also incorporating a mix of pastel hues to the sky in the background. 

Glimmer of Light: The Colors of Autumn

The best part of autumn is being on the lookout for vibrant fall foliage across different neighborhoods and cities. I particularly loved this set of trees - there's a bunch of these decked out in a row for a few blocks. With the sun lowering in the sky, the sun flare shined through one of the trees - making for a perfect capture!

Awakened by the Sun: Pastel Winter Park Imagery

Winter doesn't need to be so dreary. On a rather bleak, grey day in Seattle, I stumbled upon this bridge that gave off so much serenity on a Thursday afternoon.

I liked the simplicity of this view but wanted to make it brighter and more hopeful. I decided to filter it with pastel vibes all over, lowering the saturation, drastically altering the hues, adding sun flare effects and blurring it to offer up an ethereal, dream-like feel.

The Abstract Life: Ethereal, Pastel Stairway Imagery

It was a normal staircase when we walked by, but the way the sun was shining inside the museum gave it a unique look and feel. The shadows were all in the right place. Right then and there, I was inspired to brighten up the image with a couple effects.

First, I added a couple sun flare effects to give it that magical, exquisite look. I lightened the image, blurred then sharpened the staircases and windows, changed up a couple of the hues and then lowered the saturation so it offered a smooth, pastel vibe. Then, I cloned the staircase image, flipped it, and made it symmetrical on the right side. To make it even more of an abstract piece, I cloned various parts of the staircase and windows and smoothed it all over the picture.

That Spark of Joy: Sun Flares Above the Mountains

While driving down mountain roads with slight winds and partly sunny skies, I caught this perfect shot of the sun flare with the dazzling clouds in the sky, fresh trees, and a calming landscape in the backdrop.

City of Palm Trees: Famous Los Angeles Sunset

Everywhere you go around Los Angeles county...you're pretty much surrounded by palm trees. It makes for a fantastic, scenic drive despite all the traffic. Up above in a cozy room near downtown, I see this array of palm trees in the distance during sunset and had to capture this classic beauty. I added some sun flare, enhanced the saturation with pinkish orange hues, and blurred it out for a vintage-y, summery mix.