18mm, 1.3 sec, f11, ISO 200

Nichols Ledge has become a spot very much on the radar of the landscape photography community.  It's easy to understand why.  Not only is it a gorgeous view but the sun sets directly over the pond in the autumn months.  The problem with shooting Nichols is that there is really only one good composition there.  I've never see anyone shoot anything vastly different nor could I find a better composition myself.  That means lots and lots of photos of the location look remarkably alike.  I try not to shoot images that look like everyone else's and I don't have a lot interest in photographs that have been done to death.  After giving it some thought I could only think of one thing that all these images had in common that I had any control over.  They were all shot in the evening to capture the setting sun over Nichols Pond.  

It's a short hike up to the ledge which I was grateful for in the wee hours of the morning as I made my ascent.  There was quite a bit of cloud cover as I arrived at the overlook.  Mornings like this can produce some dramatic light displays but more often than not, they're complete duds.  I set up "the shot" and waited despite my lack of optimism.  Just as my hope was feeling all but crushed the clouds over Nichols Pond began the light up pink.  Snap... snap... snap... I pulled off as many frames as I could, correctly assuming the colorful vibrant sky would depart as quickly as arrived.  I got only one other brief moment of light that morning.  It didn't last long, but it was long enough.