"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." - Rabindranath Tagore
I came across this quote a while ago and added it to my list of inspirational quotes. Surprisingly, I probably shoot more sunrises than sunsets and I was taking the quote literally. I decided to change the post to one loosely influenced by the quote, in other words - images with dramatic cloud cover. You may remember in my earlier post,
What is a "beautiful" day?, that I love clouds in my landscapes.
This is one of my favorites, taken on the beach at Ocean Grove. I had just gotten on the beach and was walking north when this image presented itself to me. I didn't realize until I got home but the star of the show is the cloud formation in the middle. It resembles a figure from my childhood, do you recognize it? This was actually taken with my smartphone. I often will take a couple shots with my phone when I arrive somewhere and post to social media before I get down to serious shooting. This was one of those times.
The black & white image above was shot at Manasquan Reservoir during one of my "gotta clear my head" hikes after work. I had gotten some bad news about a friend and needed time alone. I normally go to a special place at Allaire State Park but it was closed for some reason and I ended up at the reservoir. I was disappointed at first but it all turned out for the best. I think you would agree - without the clouds this image is not nearly as good. They add so much drama and I thought it was a great candidate for black & white.
This is the same as the black & white image above except it is cropped as a panorama and I included more foreground than sky. I like them both and don't really have a favorite - what do you think?
This is actually a sunset - I had to get at least one that was "on topic". This is a quick scan of a KodaChrome 64 slide that I shot in the early 80's. I grew up with this inlet in my backyard and I witnessed countless sunsets while sitting on the dock or in the gazebo. It was a magical time of the day. Just beyond the trees in the distance was Fort Monmouth (it has long been decommissioned) and on quiet late afternoons you could hear taps being played at the fort. I have been slowly scanning slides and negatives that I shot over the years and hope to write about the area more in the future. This image was taken with either a red or orange Cokin filter over the lens.
Here are a couple sunrises shot in Ocean Grove. This is my favorite place to catch a sunrise, especially when the Fishing Pier was still there. Sadly, Superstorm Sandy destroyed the pier in November 2012. It was partially rebuilt but stops short of where the building was located. I haven't heard if there are plans to rebuild the rest of the pier. Clouds bring so much to an image and I have all but stopped shooting landscapes on cloudless days.
So, what do you think? Do clouds bring color and excitement to a landscape? Do you have some great cloud shots? I would love to see them - leave a comment along with your image.
BTW - the cloud formation reminds me of Wile E. Coyote. Do you see it?
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
This is one of my favorites, taken on the beach at Ocean Grove. I had just gotten on the beach and was walking north when this image presented itself to me. I didn't realize until I got home but the star of the show is the cloud formation in the middle. It resembles a figure from my childhood, do you recognize it? This was actually taken with my smartphone. I often will take a couple shots with my phone when I arrive somewhere and post to social media before I get down to serious shooting. This was one of those times.
The black & white image above was shot at Manasquan Reservoir during one of my "gotta clear my head" hikes after work. I had gotten some bad news about a friend and needed time alone. I normally go to a special place at Allaire State Park but it was closed for some reason and I ended up at the reservoir. I was disappointed at first but it all turned out for the best. I think you would agree - without the clouds this image is not nearly as good. They add so much drama and I thought it was a great candidate for black & white.
This is the same as the black & white image above except it is cropped as a panorama and I included more foreground than sky. I like them both and don't really have a favorite - what do you think?
This is actually a sunset - I had to get at least one that was "on topic". This is a quick scan of a KodaChrome 64 slide that I shot in the early 80's. I grew up with this inlet in my backyard and I witnessed countless sunsets while sitting on the dock or in the gazebo. It was a magical time of the day. Just beyond the trees in the distance was Fort Monmouth (it has long been decommissioned) and on quiet late afternoons you could hear taps being played at the fort. I have been slowly scanning slides and negatives that I shot over the years and hope to write about the area more in the future. This image was taken with either a red or orange Cokin filter over the lens.
Here are a couple sunrises shot in Ocean Grove. This is my favorite place to catch a sunrise, especially when the Fishing Pier was still there. Sadly, Superstorm Sandy destroyed the pier in November 2012. It was partially rebuilt but stops short of where the building was located. I haven't heard if there are plans to rebuild the rest of the pier. Clouds bring so much to an image and I have all but stopped shooting landscapes on cloudless days.
So, what do you think? Do clouds bring color and excitement to a landscape? Do you have some great cloud shots? I would love to see them - leave a comment along with your image.
BTW - the cloud formation reminds me of Wile E. Coyote. Do you see it?
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