Hodgepodge of Storm Photos

[MarcusM]

I wasn't going to post these as I didn't think they were too spectacular, but after seeing everyone's storm shots I just decided I would share mine also (even though they are nowhere near as good as ones others have posted). These are really my first sets of storm shots - after seeing some absolutely amazing storm shots on these forums I have been inspired and hope to do a lot more storm photography in the near future.

The first shots are from Fargo, North Dakota on 6/14/08 as a massive shelf (I think it was a shelf, weather nuts please verify) cloud moved over my parent's house:

1. This was one of the most amazing clouds I've seen

2. There was a tornado warning at this point, and I really started to think a tornado might drop down in the middle here, but it never did:

3. The edge of the cloud started to break up a little:

4. The storm was moving from West to East (It was a very thin, very long system) and this is shot looking lengthwise to the North so you can see the very edge of the storm:

5. After the storm passed (these go out to you rainbow-haters - you know who you are ):

6.

7. These next shots are from a massive system that moved through Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN this past weekend. Unfortunately it was so dark that I had to shoot at super high ISO (800-didn't want to go to 1600 because shots are terrible at that ISO on my 300D) and very slow shutter speeds, so the noise is obvious and there is slight blur:

8. Photoshop was being a pain and kept saying my scratch disk was full and would not let me crop. I was sick of messing with it so here is the shot with the stupid stoplight hanging from the top:

9. Right down the block from my house:

C&C welcome!

 

[spiffybeth]

do you have any zoomed out views of the first two?

if it was warned and rotating above you, you were under a wall cloud, not a shelf cloud
edit: those striations make me think its a wall cloud... can i get a chaser to back me up? or disagree?

 

[heather2046]

2 & 3 & 6 are my favourites, nice series !! Thanks!!!

 

[MikkiStreak]

I like them... I'm a fan of "storm-chasing"... the shows on TV and the photos taken. The power lines are a little distracting, but I like the color saturation and the drama of the clouds.

My sister and I got caught in the storm/tornado that went through Iowa over Memorial Day (the one that leveled Parkersburg and continued across the state line into WI and/or MN). Literally, she sat in the passenger seat praying because she was so damn scared, and the entire time, I kept wanting to pull over and get some photos of it all. I don't think she'll travel with me anymore during storms.

 

[MarcusM]

do you have any zoomed out views of the first two?

Actually, I had to double-check because I thought most of these were zoomed out but after you asked and I looked, I thought they looked zoomed in also, but I checked and they are at 18mm with my kit lens - this cloud was very low and was almost directly overhead - really close, which is why it probably looks zoomed in

if it was warned and rotating above you, you were under a wall cloud, not a shelf cloud
edit: those striations make me think its a wall cloud... can i get a chaser to back me up? or disagree?

On the radio they did initially call it a wall cloud but then they said shelf cloud, so I'm not real sure that they were real sure.

2 & 3 & 6 are my favourites, nice series !! Thanks!!!

Thank you for the comments, I appreciate it!

 

[MarcusM]

I like them... I'm a fan of "storm-chasing"... the shows on TV and the photos taken. The power lines are a little distracting, but I like the color saturation and the drama of the clouds.

My sister and I got caught in the storm/tornado that went through Iowa over Memorial Day (the one that leveled Parkersburg and continued across the state line into WI and/or MN). Literally, she sat in the passenger seat praying because she was so damn scared, and the entire time, I kept wanting to pull over and get some photos of it all. I don't think she'll travel with me anymore during storms.

Thanks, yea the power lines are distracting, unfortunately, but you gotta work with what ya got! There was no way to avoid them.

Your story reminds me of the time I was in high school and my friend who was always a daredevil (is now a pilot) drove us into the heart of this crazy storm in Fargo while there was a tornado warning. It was raining so hard and everything around was was the most vibrant orange I've ever seen...I saw probably 2 or 3 funnel clouds hanging high in the sky but none touched down. After a while I couldn't see anything but the rain moving horizontally...it was crazy and I was scared s***less!

 

[spiffybeth]

in theory, the shelf cloud will be visible as the storm is approaching you and the wall cloud while the storm is over you or departing from your area (assuming it has a wall cloud)....that's in theory...

and when you said "they", who are you talking about? they called it a wall cloud and then a shelf cloud....

 

[MarcusM]

in theory, the shelf cloud will be visible as the storm is approaching you and the shelf cloud while the storm is over you or departing from your area (assuming it has a wall cloud)....that's in theory...

Was one of these "shelves" supposed to be "wall"?

and when you said "they", who are you talking about? they called it a wall cloud and then a shelf cloud....

You know, "they" - the radio people!

Seriously, I think it was the broadcaster of whatever program we were listening to...I can't remember if it was a meteorologist who came on or not

On the radio they did initially call it a wall cloud but then they said shelf cloud, so I'm not real sure that they were real sure.

 

[spiffybeth]

Was one of these "shelves" supposed to be "wall"?

ah. sorry. im editing that right now. :blushing:

 

[wxnut]

Looking at 1 and 2 I would have guessed shelf, but pic 3 confirms its a shelf. Shelf clouds can have striations to. Here is a pic of a shelf I took a few years ago...

http://www.dougraflikphotography.com/storm27.htm

It looks round cause its a stitched, ultra wide shot.

Great shots though. I love the contrast on the first 3.

Doug Raflik