Sun Pillars

Chasing sunrises and sunsets has been a hobby of mine for almost a decade, and I have only seen a sun pillar on two or three occasions. Sun pillars or light pillars form when sunlight reflects off the surfaces of millions of falling ice crystals. The crystals turn the light of the sun back on itself, making a beam of light. This atmospheric optical phenomenon is most likely to happen at sunrise or sunset. While not exactly rare, their existence is constantly fleeting, making capturing this beautiful phenomenon quite tricky. As the sun moves toward the horizon, the pillar may be in place only for a minute or two. The particular night these photos are from was quite a scramble.

I was not sure if there was even going to be a sunset worth capturing as the clouds were pretty thick. Just as the sun was about to set for the night, a patch of open sky showed itself, and that is when the pillar started forming. Seeing this from the window of my house, I grabbed my gear and ran outside. Knowing I only had a few minutes, I could not drive anywhere, and these photos are from my front yard. Lasting only five minutes from start to finish, I was able to get quite a few fantastic photos of this rare occasion. If you ever have the opportunity to witness this phenomenon, I recommend taking five minutes to sit down and watch it.

*All photos available to buy in the gallery