It is important to remember that we are not just photographing the shapes and textures of clouds themselves, but we are also photographing the intensity and coloration of the light that may be reflecting off the clouds. I made this image after sunset, from my own backyard. The large cumulous cloud soars from its nest, bursting like a projectile through the veil of thin clouds encircling it. The silhouetted hills and circle of lingering thin clouds offer context to the huge cumulous cloud that still reflects the colors of a sun that has already slipped below the horizon. The summer night is upon us, yet the golden cloud reminds us of the day that is done.