I’ve mentioned this several times before on this publication’s pages, and I’ll say it again: Smartphone cameras are perfect for those who enjoy documenting the world around them but can’t be bothered with cameras that have all sorts of settings requiring adjustment. They also are perfect for those who would be up shit’s creek trying to figure out how to use such cameras. I am a member of both categories.
Not surprisingly, then, I began snapping away pretty regularly soon after obtaining my first smartphone in late 2015. All you need to do is aim, touch the screen briefly here and there to adjust for distance and brightness if you so desire, and then press the big button. Voila! Mission accomplished. Easy as f*cking pie.
I’ve put hundreds of the photos I’ve taken to good use, placing them in Yeah, Another Blogger stories. And a fair number of those hundreds are sunset scenes, nearly all of them drawn from vacations my wife Sandy and I have enjoyed on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA.
Well, despite the fact that cyberspace currently contains several trillion sunset images, I’m never the least bit reluctant to add more of them to the unimaginable glut. I mean, it’s not as though somebody is going to sue me if I do. Right? On second thought, I damn well could be wrong about that. Whatever, I’m willing to take my chances. Away we go!
Cape Cod sunsets, when viewed from Cape Cod Bay, are magnificent when the atmospheric conditions are favorable, for there are no obstructions to hinder your view. Obstructions, however, are a given just about everywhere in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is where I reside, and in Philadelphia itself. I haven’t been to Cape Cod or anywhere else with wide-open, west-facing views so far this year. Nevertheless, two sunsets in my region brought me up short.
In July one evening, walking to our car after eating and drinking in a pub in the village of Jenkintown, which is a few miles from our suburban town, I asked Sandy to stop for a moment, as I’d just noticed a pale orange tinge to the mostly hidden lower sky. The hue looked absolutely fine in the disappearing daylight, set off as it was by houses, overhead utility wires, parked cars, foliage and scattered clouds.
And so, confronted with a view I deemed worth remembering, I yanked my iPhone out of my pants pocket. Ten seconds later the deed was done. The photo is one of my favorites among the many I’ve taken to-date in 2024. There’s a sense of peace and stability in it. But wait . . . somewhere off in the distance I can hear my doctor talking to me: “Neil, you’re old as dirt, unfortunately,” he’s saying. “If you have any sense left at all, you’ll stare at this photo a lot. Doing so will lower your blood pressure and might extend your life a little bit.”
Thanks, Doc. Will do!
(August 2024)
And in late August I became indebted to the phone once again. On the way back to our car after dining in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, a small section of a sunset, smiling coyly, presented itself to me and Sandy on Jefferson Street. Overall, the scene was denser and more complicated than its Jenkintown counterpart. There was more going on than I could comfortably absorb and process.
My iPhone came to the rescue, taking in the entire display and freezing it at 7:56 pm. The resultant photo pretty much blows my mind. It’s an exhilarating jumble of shapes and lighting effects. Every time I examine this picture I notice something I hadn’t before. I love it. Hold on a second, though . . . my doctor is speaking to me again: “Neil, the Philadelphia photo is an absolute blood pressure raiser. It’s too intense for a geezer like you. Stop staring at it!”
Sorry, Doc. No can do!
Yeah, Another Blogger 
Great shots, Neil. And you’re right, these aren’t just snapshots. Your composition, as well as contrasts of light and shadows make these works of art.
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Thanks, Mitch. To tell you the truth, I just lucked out that they came out the way they did. I didn’t crop them or edit them in any way.
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You have the eye and touch. Feel like Im there.
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The Fishtown section of Philly, which is where I took the second photo, has two restaurants a block apart that have amazing pizza. We’d had pizza at one of those places that night. It was superb!
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Photos are amazing, aren’t they. You’re remind me to take photos of something other than my cats…
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🐈😺😽😸
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Wow and wow!
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Hi Pam. Partial-view sunsets can seem pretty cool sometimes.
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absolutely, Neil. We live in the woods and we get barely anything other than orange through the trees. I love the drama of a sunset, even if partial.
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As usual, an interesting read. Cheers, Muriel
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I appreciate it. Thanks.
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Sunset photos are my favourite. Love these, Neil. And how great that smartphones offer such a great camera option – it fits in your pocket!
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Hi. Smartphones are an incredible invention. And they keep getting better and better.
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Love these shots.
I’m not great with my phone and sadly, for the first 4 months of travelling last year, I only had my Google Pixel 6A, which contrary to what online reviews state, it’s not that great for photos. Luckily, I bought a Fujifilm camera in July last year and could finally take some better quality photos. All my Japan photos are with the Google phone so not good. 😦
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Hello there. In the past, before digital cameras, did you have a darkroom where you developed film?
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I did indeed and still have my gear. I’ll set this up again when I’m back in my house. 😉
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BEAUTIFUL photos 🧡
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Thank you very much.
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I’m like you, Neil, in that I love the iphone’s picture-taking capability. In fact you know more than I about how to use it. I rarely adjust anything – just point and click. Perfect for capturing those sunsets wherever you are. 🙂
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Hi there, Diana. I hate to say it, but I’d be pretty lost without my phone.
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Me too!
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I’m not sure if my comment went through. If it didn’t, love this post.
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Hi, and thanks.
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I do so love the peace of a sunset behind the clouds. I miss my autumn colors already, but another favorite composition of mine is a sunset behind winter trees. There’s something glorious about all those silhouettes. Hope you’re well, my friend! xxxxx
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Howdy, Jean. I hope all is well with you and yours. I’ve been fine. And I caught two sunsets recently. Both were over open waters.
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Oh, I bet that must have been gorgeous!
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Nice pics 💯
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Thank you.
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