What’s the value in yet another picture of a sunset? Haven’t there been sufficient paintings and drawings and photographs of the sun falling over the horizon, spilling out beautiful hues of reds, oranges, pinks and yellows? Why record yet another instance of the sun saying, “Thank you for another day; here’s a little gift to remind you of the beauty in the world during the dark hours that will come as I get my rest”?
Few experiences promote more peaceful responses than watching the slow descent of the sun over a body of water or over a horizon filled with fields of wheat or over the sands of a dessert.
It doesn’t matter what fills the horizon – a cityscape, a forest, rolling hills, a vast mountain range – the gift of a beautiful sky as the sun settles over the horizon is universally appreciated/embraced/celebrated.
Sunsets are as varied in their presentation as they are reliable in their occurrence. On those days when the sun isn’t hiding behind a curtain of clouds, the colors presented are rarely the same. Those clouds, a dust storm in the west, rain between the viewing location and the horizon all interact with the sun’s parting light to make the remarkably regular sunset just as remarkably unique.
So, is there value in yet another picture of a sunset? I ask a different question: Is it possible for there to be too many pictures of one of the most beautiful and inspiring gifts Mother Nature gives humankind?