Magical Sunlight + Pastel Trees at Shakespeare Garden

 

The mid-afternoon sun created enchanting soft-hued streams of shadow effects at Shakespeare Garden, making for the perfect picture here! I love the lighting, the delicate tree shadows, and the flawless alignment of the flowers and trees in this intimate, serene garden.

I lightened the image a little more to add on to the dreamy, ethereal vibes, showcasing spring's charming energy. 

Into the Wild: Sun Breaking through the Sky

Astonishing aerial views of the waters and mountains of Canada. 

With the sun breaking through the sky, the stream of lights look particularly cool on the landscape, creating golden colors, shadows, and reflections. 

I added in some warmer tones to this to create the effect of an incoming sunset, included a faded turquoise streak, a couple snow droplets, and some extra human aspect to it.

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!

The Sunlight Shines Through: Hints of Wonder Reimagined

Letting the light stream through all of the redwood trees~

I wanted to create a pastel imagery with streams of light and trees all mixed together. This original photo had pockets of sunlight shining through but I wanted to add more to the imagination. I also included a nice, subtle peachy salmon and aqua green gradient across the background to further enhance the dreamy quality.

Palm Trees + Sunshine in Hollywood

Glistening sunshine and clear skies seen above the lines of palm trees, adorning famous Hollywood in Los Angeles. 

The vast blue skies and the natural beauty of this landscape are always a classic. 

Serenity and Sunlight at San Francisco's Ocean Beach

A simple view of the ocean that puts you at ease in an instant.

There was something with the fog, the clouds, the blue sky and the streaming sunlight (at a couple hours before sunset) mixed in together that really made this photo stand out to me. This is a simple capture but yet so special because of how these components blended in together, creating that classic beach scene.

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.

Sunlight Streams Over the Trees: Tranquil Moments

When there is light, there is hope...and there are trees. No matter what type of darkness you see in front of you, it won't last forever and there is always light at the end of every tunnel.

Radiating Light and Sunset Colored Clouds Imagery

We all need a little extra light in our lives.

While flying for a couple hours, I watched the sunny afternoon sky slowly transition into sunset and then darkness as we jumped through different time zones.

When I looked outside the plane, I noticed the clear, yellow-orange sunset and soft clouds across the sky and had to capture it immediately. It resembled the colors and natural aspects of the anime Your Name. Your Name has some of the best visual imagery of clouds and streams of radiating lights and I was inspired to use those same colorful effects here. While creating this image, I used the sunset photo as the backdrop and added in various layers to show streams of light (inspired by Perfume's Tokyo Girl MV), sunlight, clouds, sparkles and other reflections. I also added in some human aspects to this by having multiple versions of myself stepping on clouds and creating sharp reflections on the clouds.

The Canvas of Clouds Spread Across the Sky

Looked outside the window and saw these spectacular altocumulus clouds aligning so perfectly with each other a couple of hours before sunset. The stream of yellow lighting also added texture and various hues to the clouds. It's always a treat when you get such awe-inspiring aerial views of the sky from above!

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.