Capturing Cumulus

WHEN: July 24, 2011
WHERE: Our driveway

Bored?  No plans today?

Go take pictures!  

Need an idea?  Unless you live in a cave, why not try looking up...at the sky?

That's just what I did last Sunday.  I got the idea from my former high school science teacher, Mr. (Tom) Wagner, from recent pictures of the sky he uploaded in a Facebook album.  He is truly a skilled photographer, and very unique with what and how he chooses to photograph.  He can make the most every-day and mundane subjects come to life and his pictures are never boring.  And in case you're interested in recreating what he has done, he usually provides information on how he took the picture and where he was.

I have enjoyed clouds and weather for many years, probably since a younger age than most career meteorologists.  Even still, I have never took the time to learn the (many) cloud types. Clouds are so often beautiful and take so many shapes.  Like you, many times I've wanted to capture their beauty but it seems pictures never do them justice.  They seem so "every day" and difficult to capture correctly.  But with some simple post-editing, such as changing the picture's exposure, your mediocre cloud pictures can really come to life.  And that's just what Tom Wagner does (all the while describing how he did it).  This idea got me interested in photographing clouds again.

I thought I'd take my camera and tripod outside and see what I could capture.  You don't need a tripod as long as there is enough light but I chose to use mine anyway.  In fact, the abundance of light (that comes with essentially photographing the sun) allows for brilliant pictures; and pictures that allow you much more editing options afterwards.  That washed-out, over-exposed picture has more digital information stored in it than it would seem.  A few simple alterations can really bring out what was captured in your shot.

I walked outside at just the right time last Sunday.  Little did I know that a few puffy, somewhat dark (but harmless) cumulus clouds were just forming and moving over our house.  The clouds' dance with the sun provided frequent and different lighting opportunities in which to photograph the clouds.  In about 10 minutes (and about that much time to edit them), I had a couple dozens pictures; each one completely unique.  What are common, "every day", harmless clouds - with the right lighting and some simple editing - turned in to very impressive and menacing looking clouds.