Michael
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Samuel, I’ve read that even the experts aren’ t positive with whats going on with Mammatus..I’ve read that they proceed a storm then go outside and see them ahead of a storm. I see a lot of Mammatus in the Phoenix weather . Usually they are patchy, that is in a small area or as said at an end of a large system But I have photos showing a span of several miles of Mammatus. As far as relationship with tornadoes,,,,below is a shot of Mammatus I took from my backyard, while the local weather folks were sounding a Tornado Watch on the media. Thats as close as I want to be witnessing any relationship between Mammatus and Tornadoes. When I was in Kansas the same seemed to happen a lot. Tornado Watch was announced and Mammatus was in the sky. Both happen when a heavy duty system unleashes itself. But Mammatus doesn’t have to have a heavy duty cyclonic cell to happen .
Lots of movement!
Below is shot of strange. I think i took it at dusk and its really a small patch . The lighting makes it appear to be spikes. I really don’t know.
Captured a nice thin blanket of stratus gently undulating there Hans, But..the hole may be just a hole as in deteriorating rather than a fall streak hole.Where is the ” fall” part?
Dance stated off Vol II . I stumbled on the below shot taken almost a year ago, reminding me of a very social dance,,”The Electric Glide”. Seems like every Christmas party, Reunion, Reception, etc etc theres always the “Electric Glide”..well I suppose Clouds can too.
Hans I Think It was Ginny, a Moderator here, who used the word “painterly” commenting on a cloud photo. Your shot there strikes me as painterly, Nice capture! And Keelin, pocket phone cameras are amazing to me!. Easy to carry around with you always ,and a great inexpensive way to develop one’s eye , just experiment to ones hearts delight. Nice cloudscape!Country side for sure!
I have a phone with camera but I don’t use it. I take a camera with me everywhere I go tho. A few weeks ago ,on the way home I spotted some interesting developments and pulled over at a couple of my favorite spots to photograph the interesting. The shot below was not an original reason for why I pulled over. It developed while I was taking pics in another direction.The serendipity of cloud spotting/ photographing is thrilling and is A Great Reason to use a iPhone with camera. . Perhaps the shot can be called a Cloudscape..okay maybe a Mike Cloud Scape.
Yeaa! coming apart in a big way! wild!
Hans I’m not a big fan of filters especially with photographing clouds. Adjustable filters like the polarizing and neutral density types can allow the picture to slip away while you’re adjusting the filter for best results. I have a polarizer for a lens and stopped using it when I missed too many good shots. The straight filters, UV, and colored filters etc , true, protect the glass one has paid so dearly for but..i keep changing back and forth from B&W to color during a shoot. Again, I lose way too much time screwing on or off filters as I change to or from B&W or color. These digital cameras with programmable options allow to switch to hi contrast to low from whatever you choose to something else that you choose with just a button push to menu and a couple of taps on a selector..Clouds change, lighting changes, etc, Program the effects and just know which choice has that effect. I have the Monochrome choice programmed for Yellow filter effect.Nice soft greys for B&W cloud work. User Choice 1 I have programmed for B&W ( monochrome) with Orange Filter effect for all around good contrasty shots of clouds. I have User Choice 2 programmed for B&W with Red Filter effect,,for high contrast when the clouds and lighting are not well separated, as in dull sky. All the ” Color ” choices, Portrait, Landscape, nature,,etc etc etc,I have programmed for various levels of contrast, saturation, etc. It doesn’t take long to know which choice I want to use for which situation I am Photographing. Early morning and late evening offer challenges that differ as much as brite sunny sky and overcast sky. Pre program so as to have as many choices available at finger tip.
Now, with that in mind, maybe how I shoot can be understood. I don’t shoot for lenticulars or Asperitas or cumulus or cirrus. I shoot for whatever the weather is giving me as in lighting, contrast, textures etc. I try to have prepared the camera to whatever is being offered. Sometimes, no, a lot of times what is going on to the south,,is different from what is going on to the north or east or west or straight over head. So adaptability is very important as shows in different directions start going on at the same time. Perhaps The Cloud Gods Enjoy a Good Laugh every now and then watching me darting around trying to capture 2 or 3 different shows at the same time.. I Take pictures of what is being offered. Any particular cloud type can come in any kind of lighting situation. To have the camera already set for that, makes it a breeze to capture the moment.
That perspective also applies to the aesthetic. Clouds aren’t always wavey or swirling or exploding etc etc. I try to ” see” what the clouds are offering in patterns or directions or just plain olde mystery as in shooting up through duplicatus. Most digital cameras ” see” further into the infra red than human eyes do. So just there, is a hint at the mystery clouds can offer. I don’t try to ” make” a cloud picture as much as record what the cloud or clouds are showing, or offering. True, when processing the photos, then creativity comes in and enhances what I’ve captured. I always end on the Surreal note. Surrealism is a philosophy. It works for me. Clouds take me away from the polarized black white true false yes no world of reason and logic and allow me another existence of imagination and aesthetics. Clouds show me that the surreal is quite natural. I hope to have my cameras ready for that .
Thanks George..That along with the national weather satellite visuals give me a bit of time to prepare for the clouds when they decide to come to Phoenix.
Jean-Pierre..Yes, Hans Got it..The Long Linear nature is because of what you see in upper right hand area..Contrail. The Fall Streak you have photographed is probably the result of a jet engine exhaust..imho
When given the opportunity I enjoy shooting straight up through the clouds. The opportunity is usually a quick moving cell of congestus. NOT RAINING THO..Roiling ,nears perfection to my tastes. Thin and Moving enough to let light in for just a bit, challenging me to capture the interesting, thats the way to get a cramp in the neck from looking up continuously for the opportune. Ive learned to shoot with a good amount of contrast programmed. Orange or Red Filter effect works well for B&W. For color just program one of your choices for high contrast .I shoot with the slowest speed possible most of the time ,equivalent ASA100, but depending how dark it is under a forming storm , might up the speed to 200 or 400 depending on where the “noise” starts becoming a problem.Generally focus where the Lightest area is, which hopefully is the center of attention or whats going on, as well. Its a different way to shot clouds and lends itself to the abstract use of cloud . And Its Fun. Below is an easy one shot from my backyard, overhead.
Hans, Thanks for the Sign In Tip…Refresh took me immediately to the red button of Login. Much Better.
Fascinating high clouds there !..Winds creating interesting troughs and eddies with what looks like lacunosus! Quite a cast of characters!Below is a Free For All of Undulatus with several layers of cloud.
Easy Hans…Sure! I’ve seen such phenomena. I suspect rising columns of heat make the holes. Something always starts degrading clouds once they reach their peak appearance. Can’t say I have pics tho,,or at least I have no idea where to look for them if I do.
Anyway, we’ve reached just over 100 posts on this thread. Hygge was hinting at 75 or so, that maybe its time for a new thread. Im thinking Vol II . 100 posts is fair especially if you believe ” A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”..So, this one is my last for this thread, Vol I. Its strange enough to be a memorable one to go out on..another Overhead shot taken from my backyard…with a little contrast and ” clarity” added..;)
George makes a valid point, it depends where you are located. But..I have a slitely different perspective. For me..the rarest cloud I can think of..is the One I don’t Want To See. Cirrus lenticulars are very rare. I think I’ve only seen a couple and have only one picture of one. I use to think Horseshoe vortex was rare but I’m into double digit sightings of those now. The most recent outburst of the Polar Strat Clouds have been seen by perhaps millions so rarity gets another flavor there. But there is one,,rare in occurrences when compared to normal clouds and I suspect, most who have seen one , hope its their last; the tuba that touches ground, the tornado! Imho..the rarer, the better.
