The last few weeks have offered up some of the most amazing and beautiful night skies. Tonight offered up probably one of the best views I've seen in awhile.

I think what amazed me the most is how fast the sky changed in the last hour of daylight. The clouds raced across the sky and morphed a kaleidoscope of colors. It was literally like watching a painting being created in the sky in front of me. It was truly an amazing view.

I took about 50 images, experimenting with different exposures. As light and color faded away it left me wanting for more. I guess I'll have to wait and see what the sky offers up tomorrow. Below are a few of my favorites.

 Click on the thumbnails for a larger view and EXIF info.

I noticed the most beautiful and vibrant sky as I drove home tonight. The setting sun lit up the horizon like fire.

I kept thinking to myself, "I have to find a place to pull off and capture this wonderful view". As I drove past the usual cluttered buildings and billboards, I was sure I wouldn't find a focal point before the moment had passed.

I've driven past The Church at Pinnacle Hills hundreds of times, but when I drove past it tonight I knew I had found the spot. The site was stunning and I hoped I could capture what I was seeing and do it justice.

I was really pleased how these shots turned out. I did very little post processing, the color is just as I captured it. I added a slight vignette and boosted the contrast.

Shot at 1/4 second at f/2.8, ISO 400

Just walking out the door today I knew fall had finally arrived. The windy chill was overwhelming, the sky vibrant and the air smelled fresh and clean.

Recently, I blogged about my disappointment in the lack of fall color here in Northwest Arkansas. Well I was too quick to be impatient, because today was a beautiful fall day and it was FULL of color! I spent my entire lunch walking around the Bentonville Square taking some 140 photos. I've showcased a few of my favorites below.

You can click on each individual photo to comment on it or view the EXIF data.

The Benton County Courthouse

The Benton County Courthouse

Fall on the Bentonville Square.

Fall on the Bentonville Square.
I was a little miffed that the City of Bentonville decided to go ahead and string Christmas lights in early Novemember. But I was still pretty happy with this shot.

I'm excited to announce that I had three photos published in the Capture Arkansas coffee table book that was presented by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Over 32,000 photos were submitted for publication, 200 were published in the book.

I also won an award for my "Tucked Away" photo

Tucked Away, my prize winning photo: published in the Nature category.

The Senior Walk: published in the Institutions category.

Inquisitive: published in the Pets category.

This was such a fun contest. Along the way I met several great and talented photographers. I am truly honored to have met them. I continue to follow their work. They not only inspire me, but they are wonderful people that have gone out of their way to teach, encourage and share their love of photography.