Pixiq

We all know those who snooze lose; but also those who chill out, miss out. I was out on deck on a boat off Greenland watching the last rays of sunlight painting the barren landscape with varied hues when everyone was flocking to a barbeque on the opposite deck. In the sea between the land and us was a white iceberg – nothing extraordinary here, as we had been seeing bergs all day.

As I watched the light change on the land, the sun sank below the horizon. For a brief moment, the last rays of sunlight created a striking, yet harmonious, color contrast between the iceberg and the honey-colored land. The white ice, no longer lit by direct light, turned a spectacular shade of blue, expanded in size by the reflection in the clear water.  Fortunately, I had my tripod and camera on deck, because there would not have been time to go back to my cabin. Although there were 50 plus photographers on board, I was the only one who witnessed this ephemeral moment, which just goes to show it not only pays to keep your eyes open but also not always to be an eager beaver at a party!

In a much warmer climes way down in South Africa, I witnessed another brief color change in the landscape. Each day, for almost a week, after leaving my hotel in Kamieskroon, I passed a sloping red rock that blended in with the rest of the landscape. Returning late one afternoon, I was stopped in my tracks. Rainwater runoff and the angle of light combined to produce a dramatic color contrast that looked for all the world as though blue stripes had been painted on the rock. Within a short time, the water evaporated and the rock reverted to a uniform red with the odd splash of gray lichens.  

Alpenglow is another – more often photographed –  well known example of fleeting color in the landscape.