With some sunsets, you blink and you miss the whole thing. With others, they keep going on and on, their colours changing every few moments. Both are beautiful in their own right but with summer approaching, I really can’t wait for those vivid sunsets that make you thankful for being able to exist in that moment. This spring sunset feels almost like a sneak peak!
This was one of those days where just by looking at the clouds in the evening, I could tell we would have a brilliant sunset later on. Sometimes I’m wrong since Mother Nature has a mind of her own, but I really love being right!
When we got to my spot, we could see the clouds rolling in and in no time at all, the sky opened up and unleashed a downpour onto the city. I was super lucky as I was out taking photos just seconds before! I headed back to the car, closed the door, and was just stunned at how the rain pelted down seconds later while the wind really picked up. Since we were by a hill, we could see the wind moving the rain horizontally. For a second or two, the rain streaks on our windshield were all completely horizontal!
After the rainstorm and a few short videos of the rain later, the sky began to turn pink and then orange. Soon after, some of the clouds gained definition and turned red. It’s not the most intense sunset I’ve seen but I’m not one to turn a sunset opportunity down! I’m really happy I got to go out to capture this beautiful scene.
Another Toronto sunset. I had fun merging two images in the first photo to get an HDR edit. It’s definitely something I want to experiment with more in the future. I like having the option of having the skyline visible or shrouded in shadow, depending on what mood I’m going for. Here, I liked the way both turned out!
Another brilliant Toronto sunset. Sunsets like these near the end of winter feel like a light at the end of the tunnel. I personally don’t mind winter and I love the photographic opportunities, but by the end, it really starts to eat away at me. I look forward to the longer days and the sunsets at 8 or 9pm. We still have a little while longer to go but with vivid skies like these, the wait feels a little easier.
A few shots of the vibrant pink sky we had on the 2nd. These were taken in the backyard where I’m lucky to have a great view of the brilliant sky. This is one of those sunsets that Torontonians will be talking about for a while.
Some magical moments at Cherry Beach. The ice that could be seen before was completely covered by snow. It was snowing while we were there and the sun was also starting to set. I’ve never seen anything like it, where the landscape was filled with a golden glow from the hazy sunset while the snowflakes were prettily falling to the ground. It was a peaceful moment that I want to remember always.
The Scarborough Bluffs is one of my favourite places ever. With Lake Ontario being partly frozen, we decided to venture out to the Bluffs for some sights and fresh air. The day was definitely on the colder side so I’m glad I bundled up. The water wasn’t as frozen here as it was down by the pier. It’s possible that it was and eventually thawed with slightly warmer temperatures. Only the water right by the beach had turned into ice. I was hoping for a fully frozen lake here but it’s still February, so who knows what will happen in the future.
As the sun started to set, we ventured up top and I was able to capture some gorgeous scenes of the sky over the lake.
As a self proclaimed sunset chaser, I knew I had to go down to the pier and get some shots of the sunset while the lake was still frozen. Did we get that brilliant, the sky is on fire type of sunset? Sadly no, but in this case, I’m not picky at all. The reflection of the sky and sun in the frozen lake was just gorgeous. I feel like even the most “boring” types of sunsets would look stunning against this backdrop.
A few days after Toronto got its fair share of snow, I decided to venture out to the Scarborough Bluffs in the hopes of finding some stunning scenes. It was great timing on my part as the weather warmed up in the next few days after that and most of the beautiful snow had melted.
Up top, it was frigidly cold. My fingers nearly froze taking just by taking a few photos. Honestly though, it was 100% worth it. A little while later, we made our way down to Bluffers Park below. I didn’t want to waste too much time up top as we would be losing light soon and I knew the trek to the beach was a longer one, even with the car. The pathway there was covered in snow (obviously) but there was a bunch of ice from a ton of foot travel. It’s best to give yourself a lot of time and to take it slow because wiping out there does not sound ideal.
But when we finally emerged on to the beach, man oh man was the view worth it. The sun was starting to set and its orange light was glittering on the water’s waves. During the summer, the sun is hidden behind the landscape so it was quite a treat to see it this time. I wanted to stay for the complete sunset but unfortunately, that would require us staying for another hour or so. The cold wasn’t an issue down by the beach but it was too long of a wait for us. Hopefully on my next visit, I’ll be able to catch one of those stunning sunsets that everyone talks about for days later!
I haven’t been able to photograph a good sunset in a while. This was mostly due to missing them because of the sun setting way too early and not being able to get to my prime locations in time. Even here, I’m not so pleased that I realized the sky was erupting so late but I’m glad I was able to capture it regardless.
Gina Staios Photography 