Crazy Cloud Patterns

[plangereis]

I came out of the local Safeway, and looked up to see this wild cloud pattern in the sky, which was very dark, and the rain had just passed. The wind was also whipping up quite strong. So I dropped off the groceries, and scooted down to the beach to get a few shots. I also tried some HDR B&W's. Let me know what you think of the HDR shot. I would have posted the colour shot, but I find the colours in the sky a bit exaggerated. Maybe I will try tweaking the coloured ones , and then post some HDR coloured versions. Cheers.
Non-HDR

Non-HDR

HDR

[SoxAddict]

Jeepers, they're fantastic! I just love clouds & these are fabulous, I feel I can almost touch them. I really love the HDR too, I think this is a perfect scene for its use. Great as B&W versions.

Funny though, when I was reading your message, I missed the word "off" & instead read it as "....I dropped the groceries...." - I imagine you just abandoning everything in the parking lot & disappearing off with your camera!

[ressalg]

Very cool cloud shots. I think the first one is my favorite. As for the HDR one, I couldn't really see much of a difference between it and the non-HDR pics.

Thanks for sharing.

[fstopMike]

Very brooding shots. I like your last one, especially the touch of highlights on the grass.

[plangereis]

Originally Posted by SoxAddict

Jeepers, they're fantastic! I just love clouds & these are fabulous, I feel I can almost touch them. I really love the HDR too, I think this is a perfect scene for its use. Great as B&W versions.

Funny though, when I was reading your message, I missed the word "off" & instead read it as "....I dropped the groceries...." - I imagine you just abandoning everything in the parking lot & disappearing off with your camera!

Thanks Nicky. I found the note at the end of your post hilarious! I would never drop hard earned cash-related goods, but when I came out of Safeway the first thing that entered my mind was, "Boy, I wish I had my camera!" Take care.

[plangereis]

Originally Posted by ressalg

Very cool cloud shots. I think the first one is my favorite. As for the HDR one, I couldn't really see much of a difference between it and the non-HDR pics.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks ressalg. The main difference is the highlights in the, what would otherwise be, darker areas in the foreground. Mike caught it as the highlights, and cleaner detail in the shadow areas, as well as punchier highlights. Thanks for the comments!

[plangereis]

Originally Posted by fstopMike

Very brooding shots. I like your last one, especially the touch of highlights on the grass.

Thanks Mike. Your choice of word, "brooding", is very accurate to the mood these formations and the dark skies played. I agree that HDR picked up the highlights in the grass better. I thought about using multiple exposures (about 6) in manual mode, but the clouds were moving very quickly and I figured auto-bracketing would serve the purpose better in this situation. This way the clouds did not blur near as much as using a whole bunch of exposures.

[ricklumpas]

The shots captured the gloomy mood of the day: windy, stormy. The B/W worked well to emphasize this. This is a good set!

HDR is something I still need to learn.

[jennie]

Originally Posted by plangereis

I came out of the local Safeway, and looked up to see this wild cloud pattern in the sky, which was very dark, and the rain had just passed. The wind was also whipping up quite strong. So I dropped off the groceries, and scooted down to the beach to get a few shots.

Hi Paul! these are certainly wild and you are insane! lol,,very dark..rain just passed..wind whipping..and still decided to shoot..spoken like a true addict..haha..(but maybe there is still hope..you still managed to drop off your groceries)..m sure you were grinning from ear to ear upon looking at these awesome photos..nice job!!! tnx for sharing..

[plangereis]

Originally Posted by ricklumpas

The shots captured the gloomy mood of the day: windy, stormy. The B/W worked well to emphasize this. This is a good set!

HDR is something I still need to learn.

Thanks Rick. I read an article by a really crazy B&W photographer, and he said you should try any shot in B&W to see what works, and what does not. This has been my approach. I am falling in love with B&W photography, but don't tell my wife!