clouds

All posts tagged clouds

Cloud Watching… it’s Saturday, after all!

Posted by Photonstopper on September 5, 2015
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Photo: Storm cloud over Lake Erie with speed boat heading out. Photo by James Guilford.

Canadian Storm Developed a Halo as it Weakened

I spent a happy, lazy morning watching a thunderhead bloom and disperse from the shores of Lake Erie. I’d seen a very photogenic cloud developing over my area earlier in the day but was not in a position to get a good shot — we’re at a high elevation here but there are obstructions everywhere blocking the view! So after grocery shopping I headed for the lakefront. As I drew closer to the lake, I could see there was an interesting cloud blowing up in the distance. Fortunately, the far away storm developed slowly, allowing me to reach the lake and even change location. I started out in Bay Village, and finished my vigil on the fishing pier in Avon Lake. As the storm began to weaken, it stretched out over the water and even developed a halo! Checking weather radar I learned the storm was all the way across Lake Erie on the southern shores of Canada! A pleasant morning of cloud watching indeed and why not, it’s Saturday, after all!

Image: Weather Radar

The Cloud I was Watching? It was a storm in Canada! (circled)

Beach flag

Posted by Photonstopper on August 18, 2015
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Photo: Women on beach with jet ski passing on lake. Photo by James Guilford.

Beach Flag

On an errand, I paid a quick visit to the beach today, really to see the lake and not swim or sun! The skies were mostly hazy and cloudy when I arrived but, as I walked a breakwall, some clearing happened. I got a very few interesting shots out on the wall: water rushing over gull-perched submerged stones, open water beyond. The most interesting image of the day, to my eye, was a grab shot taken at the top of the long climb from beach to parking lot: a jet ski bobbed along on the lake under cloud-decorated blue sky as a beach-goer shook sand from her towel. It was almost as though the woman was using her beach towel as a signal flag for the speeding boat.

Not very photogenic

Posted by Photonstopper on August 15, 2015
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Photo: Nighttime thunderstorm over a house and trees. Photo by James Guilford.

Peek-a-Boo Lightning

The storm showed promise… on radar the approaching line was preceded by a gust front and followed by storms with plenty of wind and rain and LIGHTNING! So, despite suffering from a head cold, I headed outdoors after 11 PM and into the heavy summer air. Making a long story short, I shot many images hoping to catch a lightning bolt before the arrival of rain. I heard thunder alright and saw soft-edged clouds lit by internal cloud-to-cloud sparks. The one bolt I did see during my hour’s efforts arced between clouds and between snaps of the shutter … perfectly bad timing! I muttered to myself quite a bit about that. The lightning petered out and sprinkles of rain began to fall. A disappointing night. So here is the one halfway decent shot from a not very photogenic storm.

Time to come in….

Posted by Photonstopper on July 29, 2015
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Photo: Man wading in lake as a storm approaches. Photo by James Guilford.

Time To Come In

My timing worked out perfectly again this evening! I had been watching on radar as an approaching line of storms ran  along a cold front hoping for another opportunity for dramatic weather photography. On a hunch I climbed into the car after dinner and headed to the Lake Erie shoreline at Bay Village, Ohio. No sooner did I arrive at the parking lot and start the short hike to the shore than I spotted it… an amazing, thin line of clouds known as a gust front approaching from the west. I shot a good number of photos of the clouds but adding to the image was a man standing nearly waist-deep in the water as the weather approached. Yes, there was a little lightning and thunder and yes, he should have gotten out of the lake as his relative urged from the shore. Time to come in! Fortunately the wader escaped harm. Behind the gust front I could see the effects of the, well, gusts: the lake water was darkening as wind-driven waves formed. The rain, this time, did not drive me from my perch but had the courtesy to begin after I was safely back in my car.

Trophy shot of the day

Posted by Photonstopper on July 8, 2015
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Photo: Storm approaching over Lake Erie. Photo by James Guilford.

Trophy Shot – Approaching Storm

I watched weather radar for several hours yesterday as a line of storms approached our area; it looked interesting. The line had a strong arc to it offering the possibility of photogenic afternoon storm clouds. So I headed to the Lake Erie shoreline and a view off Bay Village, Ohio. The drive was an adventure in itself as I encountered strong winds and heavy rains. I worried the cold front had arrived early and I might be out of luck but, I remembered, there was an intense, crescent-shaped storm out ahead of the line — driving through I should encounter dryer weather and a shot at the “real deal.” And so it was! As I approached the lake, I saw curved lines in the clouds overhead … lines that corresponded to shapes I could see on weather radar. I couldn’t stop to photograph those and so continued to my observation post. Hurrying down to waters’ edge, I saw an expansive arc of clouds stretching from the southwest to the northeast and out over the lake. Not a sharply-defined line as I might have hoped for but dramatic, nonetheless. I had time for a few single shots and a couple of groupings to be assembled into a panorama and had to run again … I could see a curtain of rain moving in! As I drove home through sheets of rain I smiled; timing and luck were with me today and I had my trophy shot of the day! P.S. – That’s not a tornado!

Photo: Arc of storm clouds extends northward over Lake Erie. Photo by James Guilford.

The Long Stormy Arc

Jupiter and Venus dance in the dark

Posted by Photonstopper on June 29, 2015
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Photo: Progressing Conjunction of Jupiter (L) and Venus (R) Amidst Thin Clouds. Photo by James Guilford.

Progressing Conjunction of Jupiter (L) and Venus (R) Amidst Thin Clouds

We have been watching planets Jupiter and Venus drawing closer and closer together in our evening skies. Tomorrow, June 30, the pair should be 1/3-degree apart — close enough to look like a brilliant double star! Chances are we won’t see the event due to expected clouds, typical of this season. So last night, with thin broken clouds interrupting the view, I set up my camera to catch what I could. I was pleased to see a bit of drama as brightly-shining Venus created its own nebula in Earth’s clouds.

Wonderful clouds! Cirrus-ly!

Posted by Photonstopper on May 25, 2015
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Fantastic Display of Cirrus Clouds - May 24, 2015 - Photo by James Guilford

Fantastic Display of Cirrus Clouds – May 25, 2015

She Who Must Be Obeyed called me to the window this evening. “There are some interesting clouds out there,” she said. I looked. Oh yeah… very interesting! A broad line of cirrus clouds stretched across the sky, north to south, filled with wonderful detail — curves, streaks, twists — sunlit against an otherwise clear, blue sky. I grabbed my camera, stepped out to the sidewalk, and watched. The wonderful clouds changed as the minutes passed and, too soon, flattened out and dispersed.

Photo: First Quarter Moon and Cirrus Clouds. Photo by James Guilford.

First Quarter Moon floats amongst Waves of Cirrus – May 25, 2015