Meggerz

Sunset Lit Shelf

This beauty rolled through my front yard 8.20.14

This beauty rolled through my front yard 8.20.14
Read less

Canon EOS 60D

settings

Aperture f/22.0 ISO 100 Shutter 4/10

upload_date

Aug, 2014

Views

1021

Likes

+98

Awards

Zenith Award

Featured

Staff Favorite

Peer Award

+38

Absolute Masterpiece

+17

Superb Composition

+11

Top Choice

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Superior Skill

Magnificent Capture

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Ultimate

Wow ! That is an angry looking sky, nice work !

Nice shot!!

What an amazing looking sky. Never seen anything like this before. Paul.

i am not the sharpest tool in the shed, and Viewbug.com is not always clear with its technical data for an image; do you happen to recall approx. what your camera settings were? its listed as having the aperature at F22 with an ISO of 100, but i am not clear on the shutter speed /time.

See all

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

I took a trip down to Huzzah Conservation area in central Missouri, January 16th. The view of the sky is fantastic, very minimal light pollution.

Near Luebbering, Missouri.
Awesome lightning show with a severe thunderstorm that rolled through!

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this picture standing in my front yard in Robertsville, Missouri. There was a line of severe thunderstorms coming through the area that day. Nearing the end of storm season, I waited all day to see the storm that would roll through my area.

Time

This photo was shot just before sunset. You can see a glimpse of the sunset lighting up the backs of the clouds and through the trees in the distance. Besides the spectacular shelf cloud formation you can see here, the colors of the sunset and how it lit up the clouds was another key part to this photograph.

Lighting

I merged 3 different exposures for the final shot here. The different exposures, what most know as HDR, allow for fantastic lighting of both the background and foreground. Though there are merged photos, all of the light is natural and from sunset.

Equipment

I used a Canon 60D, 17-40mm lens, and a tripod to take this shot. My tripod always comes in handy, especially for shots like this that require a little longer exposures (depending on the time of day), and for taking multiple exposures for HDR shots. You can also see a single bolt of lightning here as well. Tripod, again, is my best friend when it comes to lightning shots. The 17-40mm lens is fantastic for landscape shots like this as well.

Inspiration

Weather has always been a passion of mine, it's as simple as that. Given a storm, I'll be taking photographs of it. No two storms look alike and one storm can look very different from another perspective. For me, it's about capturing an image from my point of view. All the beauty I see in each storm, so that I can share it.

Editing

I used Photomatix-pro to merge three different exposures for this image. As noted before, this allows for better lighting of both the background and foreground. While keeping details in the storm clouds and sunset, there is also more color and detail within the trees, grass, and the barn. I also used Photoshop to smooth out some of the noise that was in the resulting merged photo.

In my camera bag

My bag contains, besides the obvious "Canon" and lens, extra batteries and memory cards. There is one thing that hurts like nothing else when photographing a storm structure that can be gone in a matter of minutes; a dead battery. Everyone has forgotten to charge their battery at one point in time, so having a backup - or three, comes in handy. I also keep the extra memory cards for any malfunctions, issues, or just running out of room. You can also find a cleaning cloth, battery charger, my 18-200 mm kit lens and filters. I also keep the owner's manual for the Canon handy, just in case I need a refresh on a certain setting or specs of the camera.

Feedback

Weather is every where, keep an eye on the sky. Grab your camera, practice, and take every opportunity. Try taking different exposures to find the best light and detail of the subject.

See more amazing photos, follow Meggerz

Meggerz

Meggerz

Sunset Lit Shelf

This beauty rolled through my front yard 8.20.14

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow Meggerz

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.