Great Basin snow shower
P2208954RAWAFF-FB
P2208954RAWAFF-FB
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Feb, 2021Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on highway Utah 56 between Beryl Junction and Modena on the edge of the Escalante Desert. This area does not have the sweeping red sandstones of the Escalante National Monument / Escalante River farther east. The scenery here is more open with valleys bounded on both sides by mountain ranges; more room for the sky. I knew the approaching storm might offer some opportunity for sweeping cloud photography.Time
This was taken in the afternoon on a drive view the cloudscapes from an approaching storm; this is looking north to an southbound incoming storm. The snow flurry came in about ten minutes. Afternoons and evenings in the Great Basin can have some dramatic light.Lighting
I had been watching the sky all day and when this combination of one spot where the sun was trying to come out with the darker snow shower next to it I pulled over and took the shot.Equipment
Handheld Olympus EM5 with 12-40.Inspiration
What caught my eye was the bright spot on the left and the alternating dark and light bands on many scales -- from the fence to the light grasses to the bands in the clouds. The Great Basin has open vistas that are great settings for cloud pictures.Editing
The 4/3 format was wrong for this shot; the wider 16x9 emphasized the dark and light bands. Dodging/burning emphasized the rhythms of the clouds; a vignette helps to keep the eyes in the frame; not to wander out the sides.In my camera bag
Micro four thirds body, lenses from 7mm to 300mm. A loupe to help with focus. Spare batteries, a Lens Pen. Grey card, small scale. For cloud photos: a circular polarizer, and ND filters. And a sturdy tripod with weights to steady it in the wind.Feedback
Clouds offer opportunities to create great photos with the broad tonal range with natural gradients. Try for a series of pictures, a theme of clouds; a theme of dark clouds, another of clouds at sunsets. I'm doing more now with taking a series of photos not just 'photos'. Having a goal makes me think more about what is going into each photo; what works and what doesn't. The more time I spend planning the final result; paying attention to the mechanics and esthetics of each shot and how to achieve a certain look; the better the individual photos get. That is not something that is easy to present in the ViewBug model. But maybe there is a way? Have you found a way to present a series of themed photos in ViewBug that communicates what you are trying to learn?
