Brilliant! I love it. And, anyway, there is nothing wrong with a point and shoot, well I would say that as I'm not strong enough to hold anything bigger!

I love how it seems that the sun is melting into the sea! This is a wonderful shot, especially for being untouched. I don't know as I'd use the term "normal"...that's a touchy one, for what IS normal, after all? This is far and above more excellent than what I would consider a normal shot!

really beautiful :) Romantic with a sense of calming.

Another fine shot my friend!!

Denise has it right. What's normal? I know what that couple is talking about, "Look, the sun's essence is draining into the lake." In this case, essence = hydrogen makes up about 92% of all of the atoms in the sun while helium makes up about 7.8%. Oxygen, carbon, neon and nitrogen make up most of the remaining 0.2%. Beautiful composition and otherworldly color.

Although titled as a normal pic, I find a bit of an abnormality in this shot of what looks to be the sun, actually appearing as an old fashioned light bulb, sinking slowly into the placid environs of Lake Michigan, Mark. A very cool capture in this one. Sorry I can't add more, but I'm ages behind in my comments, and have a hell of a headache.

great capture

Another white hot sun this time radiating hot energy. Love all the red reflections and the couple adds a romantic element, as well as mysterious and vulnerable element, as if they are holding on to each other as they witness something monumental.

He looked that up. I am NOT married to Mr. Science!! LOL! I'm assuming it's sunrise, since there aren't a lot of places in Illinois where you can see the sun going down over the lake, and because you're up and out at what Andrea calls "sparrow-fart" more often than most people. Those pinky-blue tones are something I've only seen a couple times in my life! LOL! Must be early morning. :P This is gorgeous! A better camera, and a better quality shot. I disagree with Bill. (It happens! It happens!) He said something in a comment on another of your images about the mood of your shots not being dependent upon the quality of your gear. Of course that's true, but I can easily imagine the work you would do with a really fine camera. Having a pristine image from which to start, you could still achieve the look you want, but you could fine tune it so much more, and your range of options for a finished product would be vastly expanded. I think he thinks "why bother," since you get such stunning results no matter what equipment you have at hand, but that's where we disagree. Although I don't think you NEED a better camera in order to produce beautiful art, I believe you would enjoy it more. The quality of point-and-shoots and smaller cameras has improved a great deal in the past couple of years, and there's a variety of options with better optics and more blah blah blah than what was available even two years ago. Everything from "how did they get such great quality out of such a small box" to "pro level get a mule to carry it around for you" and all points in between. Bottom line, though: You take great pictures. You've got the training, the background, and most importantly, the eye. It's a pleasure to view your work!

I love the light bulb look of the sun here; it's kinda like just flipping a switch to make night come--and the red just jumps right out at you!!

Mark, this lovely addition to the series is anything but normal in my opinion. As with your previous photo your timing for this one was obviously impeccable. I honestly can't recall a more tranquil and beautiful setting and you did a stellar job on the overall presentation of it.