Fire in the sky

I watched an amazing sunset from the clifftops south of the New Forest, where I am away for the weekend. The sky was full of reds and oranges, while the sea below reflected blue and purple and in the distance the lights twinkled from from a nearby coastal town that was cast in shadows.

It was breathtaking and awe-inspiring. It seems hard not to believe that world and the heavens are full of magic when you see sights like this.

At one point it seemed there were strange fiery litters written along the edge of a dark cloud - although I realise it must have been some strange trick of the light from the setting sun. The photograph I took shows this, although not quite in the sharp detail it appeared when I saw it. It can be very difficult to capture things like sunsets, even with quite a good camera.

I wonder if that same principle is part of the reason that cameras are not normally allowed in magical rituals. If you looked at the photos afterwards, it might just destroy its effect because it wouldn't look the way it seemed at the time.