Category Archives: storm

Angry Sky

 

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Angry Sky

The Arizona summer monsoon brings 2 to 3 months of spectacular sunsets almost daily. Oftentimes, the sky appears to have something sinister in mind, as in this image from under the belly of a thunderstorm on July 30, 2015. On days when (often violent) thunderstorms occur, they often form in late afternoon either when the sun is setting or low in the Western sky. Capturing the dynamic range of such light can be difficult as strong wind usually prevents range expansion by combining a High Dynamic Range (HDR) series. In such conditions, I usually take a bracketed series of 5 exposures at +2, +1, 0, -1, and -2 EV relative to the metered exposure, then choose the best for further editing. This image used a 16mm lens at f/8. Some of the details in the upper, dark areas are lost when displayed at this small size.