Outrageous Skies
One evening a couple weeks ago I lucked into the most stunning atmospheric conditions. I was just out for an evening walk around my neighbourhood. The combination of low and high clouds provided great contrast in lighting and colour. It started with this, which was only a hint of what was coming:
I took this from the top of Omand Creek bridge. I wouldn't say this is a good shot: it's a poor composition and it could have benefitted from an ND filter...but also, my city likes to string power lines over the most scenic spots (grumble grumble). I guess I could photoshop them out, but that feels like cheating.
I couldn't stay long on the bridge because:
Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a train...
Then, on my way back through the park:
Now, I will admit I did punch things up a bit more than I usually do. For the technical people: I normally avoid the Saturation slider in Lightroom, but this almost cried for it, so I gave it a +10, which is pretty minor. The whole scene was unreal anyway, people walking by were saying things like "I hope you catch that, it's amazing!" Things were changing before my eyes, so the composition is a bit hasty and I didn't have much time to find a foreground.
As I was clicking, the whole tone darkened and deepened:
To top it off, the full moon came up. I'd lost track of the lunar calendar, so it was a pleasant surprise:
And it avoided the clouds long enough for this display:
I had gone out with no expectations at all, and sometimes those are the best outings!
