Sherry Icardi  

Captiva Sunset 2026 by Sherry Icardi

August 2026 - Captiva Sunset 2026

August 2026 - Sherry Icardi

Original

About the Image(s)

This image was taken on our second day early this month in our favorite summer spot. Captiva island on the west coast of Florida. It was most unusual because of a Saharan Dust (sand) that has been plaguing South Florida from east to west coast. It creates a continuous haze in the sky, day and night. This one night we got lucky and the sun was able to break through and offer us some beautiful color, but it last less than 10 minutes and the gray haze returned. It is an amazing phenomena that usually happens most autumn, with various levels of haze. The one redeeming quality is they tend to dampen Hurricane activity when they are prominent. I did not have time to run in and get my camera since they are so unpredictable, this was taken with my iPhone 16. In the foreground are artificially created dunes attempting to mitigate water damage from hurricanes. It was proposed after the second major hurricane hit 2yrs apart destroying some newly renovated homes and businesses . Moral of the story Mother Nature calls the shots, not humans. Since I do not routinely post IPhone images I have attached the details of capture in the "original image space.Taken with Main Camera at "24 MM" and f1.78 - though it was focused as a landscape? If anyone has skills about iPhone Photography ...I'm open to education!

6 comments posted

Butch Mazzuca   Butch Mazzuca
Sherry -The color palette draws the eye without overwhelming it; the colors are harmonious and restrained and the layering of sky, sea, and silhouetted grasses creates a peaceful, contemplative mood.

The sky is clearly the subject, but it lacks a distinct visual anchor-a dramatic cloud formation, a bird, a boat, a person, or even a shaft of light-to give the viewer's eye a place to settle. As a result, I see the photograph more as an atmospheric study than as a memorable landscape.

In my VF, I straightened the horizon and cropped the image so the horizon falls on the lower rule-of-thirds line. My goal was to emphasize the photograph's subtle layering that's absolutely outstanding! The progression from the dark silhouetted foreground to the textured ocean, the soft glow along the horizon, the mid-level cloud band, and finally the brilliant upper sky creates a wonderful sense of depth. Those understated layers work together to give the image a quiet elegance - nice job with this
  Posted: 08/01/2026 14:40:04
Comment Image
Sherry Icardi   Sherry Icardi
Thanks I really do like the base being shorter, and you are correct, the horizon looks a little off (mainly because of the grasses) . But I really think the difference is the treatment of the grasses which really does make it more pleasing to the eye, particularly with a more even layer. Thanks for the suggestion!
  Posted: 08/10/2026 20:01:22
Raymond Tice   Raymond Tice
Sherry - absolutely lovely - what a palette of shades of orange/yellow. The grass in the foreground adds value and I enjoyed seeing the few clouds on the right at the horizon. I think you took the photo in heic format rather than dng? If so, is that standard for you? and have you tried using the indigo app on your iPhone as that app seems to work well for me? Ray   Posted: 08/03/2026 00:48:32
Sherry Icardi   Sherry Icardi
Raymond, I rarely used my iPhone for images, but recently I've seen images I really like and thought you could not import into LR and process. I found out that you actually could.....and since I'm normally out with my 300mm prime, adapter, on a Sony A1, it rarely works for landscapes (except when Iwas in Washington, then Idid several panoramas of mountains. But I decided I was just being stubborn and have been using more often. This was one of my products, and I clearly need some training on how to process! Which is why I asked the question. And will definitely take a look at Indigo! Thank you.   Posted: 08/10/2026 19:53:13
Ian Cambourne   Ian Cambourne
A beautiful image of a sunset Sherry. Whether taken with a camera or a phone, it doesn't matter. It's all about the captured image. You've done extremely well with this one. As Butch and Ray have said, your composition reducing the grass to silhouette provides a great foreground and then the colours just lead us off to the horizon and beyond. Sadly, you can't really claim ownership of the colour palette, but you really have captured the gift of it very well.   Posted: 08/09/2026 05:02:25
Gary Jones   Gary Jones
Sherry, it's a great iPhone capture and when opportunity arises, we use whatever camera we have to get an image. I like the sky and this summer we've had a lot of smoke from forest fires in Minnesota and Canada, but never had the brilliant colors of your image. I like how the grasses break up the ocean water and add nice interest to that part of the image. I usually forget that I have my iPhone when I don't carry my camera, so I'm envious of your capture. And after saying that, you can guess that I can't offer any education.   Posted: 08/21/2026 19:06:38

 

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