As light drives my work, I have learned to anticipate what may provide the much needed drama for an image. Often this is a fool’s errand, but occasionally the anticipation and experience pays off. As an unusual spotty cloud pattern emerged in the western skies, I decided this could be a rewarded pursuit. The days were short so conditions changed quickly. Soon I found myself driving in rice country (Northern California’s Sacramento Wildlife Refuge). The sun was getting very low in a sky. My cloud pattern had transformed itself into a “buttermilk sky”. But I only had a few minutes to harness this potential. I decided to quickly seek out the nearest water to multiply the sky’s magic as a reflection. As if ordained by a higher power, a great white egret within an irrigation canal appeared as I eagerly jockeyed for position. Now my buttermilk sky was exploding with intense magenta. Our Egrets are very wary birds and spook easily. Fortunately it was concentrating on hunting. I had just enough time to compose and shoot one exposure before my egret flew away. One of those moments that photographers live for!