Sunset at the Artists Palette was taken in Death Valley National Park. The aim was to capture the ‘starburst' as the sun kissed the tops of the panamint Range across Death Valley. The challenge, of course, is that this is an artificial sunset. If the mountain range weren't there, then the sun would still be quite high in the sky so it's brighter than would the case for a true sunset. The direct view has produced some pretty dramatic flare in the lens. To get the ‘starburst' you just need to be using a small aperture (higher f-stop) as the sun transitions a boundary. The boundary could be the horizon, as in this image, or it could be a wall, or a cloud, anything really that has an edge. The colors in the rocks are oxidized minerals from the surrounding metamorphic rock base, exposed over millennia by water and wind erosion.
Sunset from the Artists Palette, Death Valley National Park.
