Pictures of sunsets are always pleasing to look at, but they usually require more than just a setting sun to make them function effectively. Using a wideangle converter on my camera, I stack four horizontal bands of contrasting colors within this frame -- all of them combining to convey the beauty and scale of this moment in time. The bottom layer, the earth, features two trees and a mountain. The trees appear tiny, yet immediately draw the eye -- giving this picture a focal point, and suggesting, through contrast, the vast scale of the scene. A distant mountain is also diminished in size, adding additional contrast in scale. I shifted my camera position so that the mountain blocks the sun and keeps the picture from being washed out by direct sunlight. The second layer, a band of golden clouds, brings this picture its most brilliant colors. These colors contrast to the darker hues of the third layer -- a band of falling rain.The top layer frames the scene with a band of dark, feathery clouds, providing a fitting crown to this stormy landscape of the American Southwest.