Clouds

Photographing Clouds

I opportunistically capture images of clouds. This is one reason why it pays to always have a camera at hand, especially when driving or flying. I always take window seats on airliners, and can get good cloud shots even through badly scratched plastic panes. My secrets for photographing clouds are: focus at infinity (which tends to negate scratched windows) and open the lens as wide as possible. This gives you the fastest possible shutter speed and minimizes the effects of vibration. You lose some image sharpness when the camera is wide-open, but sharpness is not a controlling factor when it comes to pictures of clouds. Clouds develop rapidly, in seconds to minutes. As is always the case with everything in life, be alert to the possibilities that circumstances provide you.

Go to the Using My Photos page on this site for instructions on how to obtain high-resolution versions of these images from me. I don’t charge money for my photos, but I do require a photo credit in your end-product in exchange for the use of my images. Key words: cloud images.

Kcm clouds May 2007 03

Cloud-shrouded Kanaga volcano in the Aleutians

New Zealand sunset

Kcm clouds May 2007 04

Big veiled cloud at 35000 feet

Clouds at Elk Creek

Clouds at Elk Creek with polarizing filter

Clouds and outcrop at a field camp

Utah paleo camp sunrise 3

Outcrop and clouds near a Utah paleo camp

Cedar Mountain cretaceous (Kcm) sunset clouds

Thunderstorm cloud forming 1

Kcm surreal sunrise

Thunderstorm cloud forming 2

Clouds with airplane wing and engine cowling

Cloud abstract at 35000 feet

Aleutian clouds with island wake

Clouds across sky

Clouds near Dallas 1

Clouds near Dallas 2

Clouds near Dallas 4

Clouds near Matterhorn 1

Clouds near Matterhorn 2

Clouds near Matterhorn 3

Haleakala clouds

Clouds over Germany from above 1

North Sea clouds seen from above 1

Cloud wreathed peaks

Thunderstorm cloud 1

Thunderstorm cloud 2

Thunderstorm cloud 3

Thunderstorm cloud 4