Norris Geyser Basin provided some absolutely fantastic foreground objects - and the sky went nuts for us. This storm was moving faster than we realized, and the kids started to get scared. Jay and I took turns running towards the car with the kids and getting a few shots in before the storm hit - this shot of Pearl Spring took just a few seconds. I put down my camera, removed the lens cap, hastily adjusted my settings, and hit the shutter release. Two seconds later, I was running to catch up with the kids - folding up the tripod as I ran.
We reached shelter moments before the storm hit, and we watched from the safety of a stone shelter at the museum. Lightening, thunder, high winds, rain, and hail... it was one heck of a storm. Luckily, it was moving so fast that the worst of it lasted just a few minutes. The little kids were scared, and the big kids helped calm them down until we could return to our car. In the end, everyone decided it was a great adventure. I love this photo - in part because of the memories it holds for me.
Comments and critiques are more than welcome! Thanks for looking!
Very powerful shot, even without the story. Is this only one shot? Did you double process and blend? Just curious. Also, the bright spot in the middle of the cloud is pretty distracting. I'd try to darken that up to match more closely the rest of the cloud. The focus should rest solely on that pool, then up through the storm, then up through the cloud. Right now my eye goes immediately for the hotspot in the middle, then down to the pool and just sort of stops. The blocked up shadows in the rear aren't too distracting for me, but I'd fix that cloud and then this would truly be a knockout. Glad you were able to get it done
I already gushed a bit over on Flickr...I'm liking it even more here on FM 'at size'! And the brightness at the top of the frame doesn't distract so much as make it seem like that sky is curling overhead...a neat trick in a 2D image. Dave
I love this photo - in part because of the memories it holds for me.