When all things align, the end result is a pretty wild sunset. One of the things I love most about shooting sunset is that there will never be the same two sunsets, ever. Being able to witness one that really drops the jaw is rare but it does happen from time to time. As long as you are patient and you have the passion for photographing the world, then you know that each time that you are a part of a beautiful sunset, it’s a blessing. We sat at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park for a good while with some people we had just met on location thanks to our friend Ranger Jake of Glacier NPS. Was dope to hear them share their stories of this amazing park and even learned a new term; Alpenglow. I never knew such word existed, I always just called it Pink Hour. It made sense to me honestly. You got golden hour and blue hour but what about when the sky explodes with pinks and purples? Pink hour aka Alpenglow. In Wiki terms, Alpenglow is the optical phenomenon in which a horizontal red glowing bad is seen on the horizon on the opposing side of the sun. This happens when the sun is just past the horizon. It’s said that the easiest way to observe a good Alpenglow is when mountains are illuminated, I totally agree. However, a true Alpenglow isn’t a result of direct sunlight. It’s the result of light reflecting off airborne snow, water or ice. Stick around after the sun has just set and observe the sky for the next hour or so and see if you can see it next time.
