Calm before the Storm
Aug, 2015Views
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Two_and_a_Quarter
January 08, 2018
Wow!!! Looks like an amazing shelf and/or wall cloud. That's a super, supercell!!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo while on vacation up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Charlevoix, MI. I insisted on going down to the beach to look for beach glass and as we walked the beach, the storm started rolling in.Time
It was late in the day, probably around 6pm. As we walked along the beach, we noticed the sky getting darker and almost in tandem all the boats out on the lake started speeding towards shore. That's when you know the storm is coming.Lighting
The lighting of the storm really spoke for itself. I was amazed how the storm changed the color of the lake to such a distinct turquoise that was easily captured through the camera lens and how easy it was to see the rain dumping in the distance.Equipment
This was shot on my Nikon D60 that I carry with me everywhere. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
To me it was a no-brainer, the storm with the almost funnel-cloud-structure forming and rolling towards us created a dark and ominous photograph. The way the lighting changed the water color, made the white tips on the lake 'pop' and the contrast it created with the blue sky still overhead made for a very unique experience. I felt the addition of the nuclear power station (on the left of the photo) added an extra layer of foreboding- I felt like I was part of a movie where the storm of the century was about to hit the beach. Right after this picture was taken we took off for the nearest buildings. We actually got passed up by people running behind us to escape the weather.Editing
I did very little post-processing. I only had time to shoot one frame because of the speed of the storm, so I enhanced some of the colors purely to better represent what the storm looked like in person. I am a strong believer of photographs capturing the real image and I felt that my raw photo didn't do the storm justice.In my camera bag
I bring my Nikon with me everywhere. Sure its a little big to fit in a purse, but someone I always manage to wiggle it in. If I am going out on a shoot, I make sure to bring my macro lens as well as my telephoto zoom and my mini tripod. I also always bring my wireless remote along. It seems to always come in handy- be it for night shoots to get less movement in a long exposure or for the casual photo of people- no need to ask the random stranger to take the photo and cut off the top of my head!Feedback
The Great Lakes provide some fantastic photos. On my last trip back to Charlevoix, I captured some stunning sunsets with cloud formations I had never seen before. Further, if you visit in the summer, you're bound to see at least one storm, as they usually roll in every few days in the evening and put on a big show. Just remember that the storms roll in quickly and if you're not prepared with water protection for your camera (or yourself) you won't get many shots in before you're soaked. For me, this means there really wasn't time for a tripod or for multiple lenses. It was very much snap the picture and get out of there.
