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Another tip or two while i was Thinking about, Canon offers choice for when shooting under cloudy conditions or when in bright sun light. I’ve found just because its cloudy out is NOT a good reason to switch over to ” cloudy” as far as white balance etc goes. Canon Cloudy translates to WARM , yellows etc. I have found to keep the color as I like them,,I don’t switch to ” cloudy” Especially when shooting irridescense . I don’t shoot thru filters when shooting irridescense either.
Sun flare is another problem when shooting for irridescense. Take a few seconds to see when the clouds start showing colors in relationship to how close they are to the sun. Remember, the eye/mind naturally goes to the brightest part of a pic.
Nice example of Holmboe(spl) Hans..I still think Holmboe should be designated as a cloud type rather than thought of as something a cloud is subjected to..but heck, one new cloud a life time is pretty special ( asperitas).
Ive mention often enough the speed that the weather has traveling across the Upper Sonoran Desert. The Picture here gives a clue. We’re talking several miles between the bottom of the pic to the top ( 5miles?) yet the cloud above sits looking motionless. Fascinating!
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.
