© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
Three days ago this little storm came directly at us. Weak rotation. When to worry? The entire center of the cloud was spinning as it came overhead. I put away my camera and headed for cover, while my husband remained giddily outdoors with the absence of sirens.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
This recent sunset didn't have the perfect composition for a fine art photograph, and it was way too over the top to inspire one of my paintings. However, my imagination was caught by the solitary massiveness of a cloud which hovered in the midst watercolor washed sky. An ominous kingdom about to engulf the island beneath it.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
In a practical fantasy, I dream about a better camera than my old glorified point and shoot Canon G3. I'm admittedly too lazy when it comes to monkeying with settings to deserve the investment. Photographer and storm chaser Jim Reed recently captured wonderful images of storm clouds while field testing the new Nikon D700. His work fascinates me. Visit Jim's website here.
Lately, I've been busy with other projects, and have no extra time to finish the research and edits for new posts on StoryCulture. Last night, I took time off from everything to sit on the dock with my camera when the tornado sirens for my county went off. We were not in the path, and fortunately no funnels touched ground.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
I am enraptured with the intensity of these skies. There were more possibilities to paint than I could hold in my minds eye. Evenings like this, a camera is essential. I long for a high quality lens.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
The cloud that crossed overhead looks more intimidating than it was. As a painter, I'm fascinated by how tonal values play out during a storm. At sunset, the darkest skies often dramatically top the picture plane.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
After I posted the cloud photograph (taken June 20th on the way to the grocery store), some readers wanted to know more about the type of cloud. I found an interesting article about the precursor to a Thunderstorm. Click here to read more about Cumulus Congestus Clouds.
I love to paint outdoors. Even if I wasn't on my way to the store to buy food for dinner, I could not have captured this beauty on the spot with my paints. The amazing thing about Cumulus Congestus Clouds is how quickly they build and morph in size and colors.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
The above image was taken moments earlier.
It was one of those nights that the weather makes unforgetable. If I'd had a panoramic camera, every direction would have captured exceptional pictures. The minutes raced by as I tried to soak it all in. I finally made my way to the grocery store. Even the carry-out guy was talking about the beauty of the sky.
I came home and cooked dinner. The night came on and my children gathered with me in the dark on the driveway looking east. The clouds were still exploding at the speed of nuclear bombs.
This following image is over my neighbors house and lit by lightning.
© Lalla Porter. All rights reserved.
