Hodgepodge of Storm Photos

MarcusM

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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:wink:) cloud moved over my parent's house:

1. This was one of the most amazing clouds I've seen
CRW_7604_RJ.jpg


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:
CRW_7606_RJ.jpg


3. The edge of the cloud started to break up a little:
CRW_7607_RJ.jpg


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:
CRW_7608_RJ.jpg


5. After the storm passed (these go out to you rainbow-haters - you know who you are ;)):
CRW_7627_RJ.jpg


6.
CRW_7623_RJ.jpg


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:
CRW_7754_RJ.jpg


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:
CRW_7758_RJ.jpg


9. Right down the block from my house:
CRW_7760_RJ.jpg


C&C welcome!
 
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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?
 
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. ;)
 
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!!!:wink:

Thank you for the comments, I appreciate it!
 
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!
 
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....
 
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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!:lol:

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.
 

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