Apocalypse
I got extremely lucky to witness this amazing shelf cloud in Vantaa, Finland and have my camera gear with me. Got this panorama shot of the clouds and the hay b...
Read more
I got extremely lucky to witness this amazing shelf cloud in Vantaa, Finland and have my camera gear with me. Got this panorama shot of the clouds and the hay bales in front! Gotta love storms!
Read less
Read less
Aug, 2016Views
748
Likes
Awards
Featured
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
All Star
Emotions
Happy
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 2Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken on a field just next to my home in Vantaa, Finland. I drove from the parking lot to the main road, crossed the road and i there i was. I started quickly looking for some interesting foreground for the shot and for my luck there were these weird marshmallow like looking hay bales on the field, which did the trick well!Time
This is shot in the evening light. It was friday evening and i was thinking whether or not to go and do a sunset shoot and decided to drive to a field of sunflowers to get a shot of them with a sunburst. This was the best decision i could have made that day! I left my home and drove to the main road. And did my jaw drop when i saw this fantastic shelf cloud approaching in the horizon on the field. I didn't have to think twice on what to shoot! Sorry sunflowers! The actual shot is taken just when the sun was setting, which explains the red light in the center of the shot. The exact date and time is 19.08.2016 at 20:38pm.Lighting
The lighting was fantastic for the shot! I couldn't really hope for any better than this. The clouds and the sky were so dark and moody, which made the shelf cloud look even more epic. And then the sunset light which colored the center of the photo with a beautiful red light. There was a massive downpour happening and for my luck it happened just in the center were the sunset colors were.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D750 and Samyang 14mm f2.8 lens. The tripod used was a Slik Pro 330DX.Inspiration
I've been amazed and inspired by rare cloud formations since i can remember. I had a book about different clouds when i was a small kid and i loved that book so much! Now in the days of social media, whenever i see a rare cloud shot, i stare at it and wish that one lucky day i will see on of them and have my camera with me to capture it. Well this evening the pieces clicked together and luck was on my side as i got to witness and photograph this amazing cloud formation!Editing
Yes! If you didn't notice it yet, this is actually a panorama of 4 vertical images merged together in lightroom. After enabling lens profile corrections ( because the lens makes a strong distortion ) i added some brightness and contrast, brought up shadows and highlights. Added clarity to bring a bit more drama and a bit more saturation. I shot this image with a really small aperture of f/22, what made all the dust and dirt from my sensor to show in the image. I had a really fun time editing the spots away, one by one and it took probably 1,5 h. I learned my lesson and took my camera to get the sensor cleaned, so i won't have to waste time with editing the spots away. Finally i added some vignetting and it was ready!In my camera bag
I have my Nikon D750 with the Nikkor 24-120 f/4 usually mounted on it, what is an great all around lens. For landscapes and night photography i have the Samyang 14mm f/2.8, which is an excellent value for money! I'm dreaming of the Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8, but need to wait to win the lottery to purchase it ,haha. Third lens i have is the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 which i use mainly for portraits. For long exposures i have a Hoya 10 stop Nd filter.Feedback
To capture these kind of rare clouds, the thing you need the most is good luck! But you could increase your luck by going out before a storm is approaching, and hoping for some epic clouds. I'm sure if you'll be patient enough, you will be at the right place at the right time. Also try to think beforehand a good location where you could photograph them. Happy cloud hunting!
