Water Tank Fire

This photo better represents the scene I described in the "Rays" entry below. The water tank next to 40/61 here looks like it's on fire with smoke billowing out of it. It's not though. It's just clouds. Your water is safe.

Rays

Leaving the restaurant after dinner with Kyle on August 7, 2008, we were greeted by a cloud formation that towered over our heads, but funnelled down, smaller and smaller to the north until it hit the horizon. It reminded me of the oil well fires in Kuwait in 1991: smoke originating from small spots and growing larger and larger as the wind spread them horizontally. I pulled into a small turn-off and started snapping pictures. Kyle joined me and was in equal awe.

Storm in Black and White

On August 7th, 2008, my son, Kyle, and I were driving east toward home after dinner. I turned around and found a safe place to park. Kyle kept asking what I was doing. I got out of the car with my camera and started taking pictures. Kyle poked his head out to see what I was taking pictures of and all he could say was "Whoa."
I had meant to see if I could enhance the brilliant contrasts of the different types of white clouds against the deep blue sky, but couldn't improve on what the camera saw. Then I decided to see what it looked like in B&W with a red filter and got this. While the original is striking, I think I like this even more. The preceding photo was also of this storm, but the sun was shining behind the clouds to the right of this photo.

Battling Formations

Another rooftop photo taken June 28, 2008. This one is similar to the one below and occupies the same space, looming just over I-70 in O'Fallon.

In the background is a wispy type of cumulus(?). In the foreground are boiling cumulonimbus clouds.

Here, the softer bank of clouds shade the hard edges of the cumulonimbi from the sun as it recedes in the west.

Sun and Shadow

I haven't confirmed what type of cloud this is yet, but it looks like a cumulus to me. It was also taken June 22, 2008, a little closer to sunset.

The sun shining on the western half, contrasted by the shadows cast on the western half really draw me to this formation.

The illuminated portion was vivid yellow, then orange, while the shaded areas turned from a dark blue, then purple.

The Title Photo: Cumulonimbus over O'Fallon, MO

This is the photo I chose for the top of my blog. It perfectly illustrates my love of outdoor photography and why the sky captures my eye constantly.

I don't go anywhere without at least one camera. Most of the time, I take pictures blind while driving. I'll point the camera in the general direction of whatever appeals to me and trigger the shutter. Half the time, I have to try again, then delete the mistakes later...when I'm not forced to concentrate on not hitting other vehicles on the road.

This one was taken from my roof on June 22, 2008. Cumulonimbus clouds remind me of many things, like towering giants, the whitest popcorn, giant alien motherships. Most of all, they remind me of approaching thunderstorms and the little black radio my dad would listen to and shoo us to the basement when the weatherman interrupted the broadcast to deliver tornado warnings. In 37 years of living in the midwest, I have yet to witness a single tornado.

Rooftop View of a Cumulonimbus

The view from my roof isn't the best, but it's as good as it gets in a neighborhood full of mature trees. Many of the photos in this blog were taken from my roof, starting in June of 2008. That's when I got my new DSLR camera and went nuts.

This spring was the wettest on record in the St. Louis area, and the summer hasn't been too dry either. It seems like, at times, I've never seen a more intense blue sky with amazingly contrasting white clouds. I'm not a meteorologist, but have lately been fascinated by the clouds. I won't pretend to be an expert in the classification of clouds either, but I do have a really good book about weather that should help determine and label the different types I photograph.

This is the first entry of my blog, but it will appear last. With that in mind, I hope you've enjoyed the photos and sentiments I've decided to share with you. Thanks for visiting and keep your eye on the sky.