Sunset from Above and Below

 

I've always loved sunsets. I don't think that makes me unique, since most people do, but I thought this one was particularly cool.

I went to Benbrook Lake specifically to watch this sunset, and I brought my drone with me. I have a DJI Mini 2 drone, which I've had for almost 2 years now, and I absolutely love it. I have always loved photography, but seeing through the lens of a drone provides a perspective that's almost impossible to get otherwise.

With my drone, I've flown alongside birds, and it feels like you're one of them. You can see things you didn't even know existed. You can fly high above it all, peer down on us and our surroundings, and we seem like nothing more than ants. In a way, it's a reminder of how small we are in relation to everything around us.

I saw the sunset from the same perspective as birds do, and that's amazing.

I'm not trying to say you can't appreciate the sunset from the ground, but I think that flying up near the clouds and getting above the ground can work to eliminate lots of the man-made distractions we see on the ground.

In this picture, you can't see sidewalks, bridges, trash cans, or anything. It's taken from above all of those things.

This is another perspective from the ground, which is equally beautiful, just different. 

During this particular sunset, a storm was rolling in, so you could simultaneously see the burning orange sunset and the dark clouds of pouring rain in the distance.

While I was watching the sunset, a lighting storm lit up the sky all around me, both above the sunset and behind us. When I first arrived, it was bright and warm, but by the time I walked back to my car, the winds picked up, the temperature dropped, and I just barely dodged a rain shower that eventually rolled into the area I was watching from.

I'm from Florida, so I'm used to sudden weather changes. This particular night reminded me of back home, where it could be sunshine one second and thunderstorms the next.

I was so focused on the sunset that I didn't take a lot of time to note the plant life around me on the ground. Next time, I'm going to take more note of it. I mainly viewed the life on the ground around me as obstacles obstructing my view of the sunset rather than things to behold in and of themselves. 

I didn't consider that until I left, when I realized I didn't take careful note of any of the grasses or trees around. Next time I go, I'll change that.

Overall, it was beautiful, from the ground and air.