Appreciating Clouds
As a photographer I have learned to appreciate clouds. First, if the sky is cloudy or overcast it produces diffused light, which really brings out the colors in flowers. I relish those mornings when the sky is cloudy.
I also have learned that a cloudless sky, or a "bald sky", isn't as interesting. Of course you can take good photos when the sky is clear, but clouds can add such drama, such as in this shot I took in Wyoming. These clouds were announcing that a hail storm was about to begin.
Over the weekend I ran across this Ted talk by the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. It is about 10 minutes long, but worth taking a moment to enjoy his message.
After watching this video, I looked through the many photos I have taken while out Camera Walking and found that the images with clouds were often my most favorite ones. I remember this morning when walking along our waterfront and seeing the sunrise colors reflected in the clouds over Puget Sound. It was mesmerizing and I couldn't stop taking photos.
These soft rolling clouds that greeted me one day walking around my neighborhood created a very dreamy scene.
It is fun to capture cloud reflections on the water. That is one of the reasons I enjoy walking along South Lake Union. On this day the clouds added so much to the final image.
While on Whidbey Island, I was drawn to the cloud reflections at Holmes Harbor.
Clouds bring emotion to a scene. These clouds over the water on Whidbey Island really captured the mood of that evening. It was rich and full of anticipation.
As Gavin Pretor-Pinney shared in the video, there are so many types of clouds. I do not know all of them, but I know that they add so much to our photos, such as these popcorn type clouds.
Then there are the dark, overhanging clouds that I captured one morning walking around my hill. The mood was dramatic, but the city shined through.
These wispy clouds transformed this scene on Whidbey Island. I loved how they looked like brush strokes across a blue canvas.
And these clouds looked like they were rushing from behind the Space Needle and the city center.
I think that the tulip fields in La Connor, Washington were enhanced by the the addition of these "cotton ball" clouds. I was able to "fill the frame" with the flowers and the clouds.
Gavin Pretor-Pinney says that looking at clouds gives you permission to stop and relax. Although he suggests that you lie down on the grass to ponder and appreciate them, I would suggest that you can reap the benefit and beauty of the clouds by capturing them in your photos while out Camera Walking. I love to hear from you, so comment below, share your cloud photos on our Facebook page, or send me an email.
