The month of April often draws thunderstorms and sudden squalls to western Washington, drenching the landscape and drawing away in a very short time. The primary driver is the rise temperatures in the western Washington as the days become longer. Regardless of the reason, the onset of this weather pattern paints the skies with dramatic clouds and lighting that lend themselves well to photography.
Out in the Palouse region, I caught the tail end of a spring thunderstorm. This composition juxtaposing windmills on a rolling green landscape against the dark ominous background worked very well with the angled lighting of the late afternoon.
Palouse
WA USA
March of the Mushrooms
Having spent most of my life in places surrounded by mountains, the thought of seeing vast open spaces, or in common parlance, 'big sky country' was limited to my visits to National Parks along the eastern edge of the Rockies and the long drives across in the Great Plains. I remember my first glimpse of such a sky while hiking up to a mountain vista in Glacier National Park and looking east into the vast undulating hills of Montana. I remember seeing the land and sky stretch endlessly to the blurred horizon. The great machinations of industrial agriculture, barns, silos, harvesters and tractors were but mere dots on this landscape, where even mile long grain trains seemed like tiny caterpillars crawling across the earth.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park was another place where I got to experience this big sky country. And on that fateful day, the sky was made even more dramatic by the appearance of a chain of nascent cumulonimbus clouds stretching across the badlands and the great plains beyond. I tried to capture the light falling on the precipitation from the middle of these thunderstorm cells as they resembled mushrooms marching across the parklands.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
ND USA
Summer storms
The dry barrenness of the Eastern Sierras, in the rain-shadow of a range reaching upwards of 14000ft, seems to harbor no interesting weather phenomena except balmy sunny skies or grey snowy conditions. But occasionally, rainclouds creep up and over the towering peaks and descend down onto the rolling plains below. And when that happens, an afternoon thunderstorm forms over the vast open landscape.
I was fortunate to catch the tail end of one as it was dissipating, but still managed to have enough mass to catch the evening light.
Inyo National Forest
CA USA
The Wilds of Central Asia
Descending down on that bumpy dirt road into a vast green valley dominated by a single glistening deep blue lake was an experience I'll never forget even though it was almost 3 years ago. Lacking any trees or vegetation except grass and ground-hugging wildflowers, the seemingly endless green meadow ringed by snow-capped peaks in the horizon had no sense of scale.
Soon after we arrived, the clouds started to coalesce together, a foreboding sign of a thunderstorm. Soon thereafter, the thunderhead towered over the lake and the distant mountains even while sun shined brightly. Nevertheless, it was time to head back to the safety of the yurt.
Eventually, the thunderhead did disappear, but not before unleashing a torrential downpour on this fragile landscape in the heart of Kyrgyzstan.
Songkol
Kyrgyzstan
After the Storm
I was not expecting to see this that day. I was not even expecting to make it out alive .
.
.
It was barely an hour earlier when I left the safety of the rifugio in the French alps under moody skies. The wind was picking up, but nothing to deter from hiking. A couple of far-away lightning strikes signaled an approaching storm. A light drizzle started, that turned to a torrential downpour in a matter of minutes. And the strikes came nearer and more frequent, the accompanying thunder reverberating across the entire valley.
I passed a couple of hikers coming the other way, and they urged me to turn around. I wish I had heeded their advice. For what lay ahead of me was a vast open stretch of trail in rocky terrain with nary a protective zone. And I was in the heart of the storm.
The gale-force winds gripped my tangled poncho, eager to yank away my only barrier to the rain. I held on, fighting the wind and the rain, slowly trudging forward. I had given up all hope of seeing the light after a storm; my only focus was on taking the next step.
And without warning, the clouds parted, the sun shone, and I was treated to dramatic view of the glacier-capped slopes of Mont Blanc.
Courmayeur
Italy
After the Storm
I was driving through what seemed like the most uncooperative of weather: moody grey skies, thundering rain and freezing winds. And in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, it was a travesty that I couldn't step out even for a mere moment to enjoy the remarkable landscape all around. And with sunset approaching, I was losing hope of getting a good shot.
And then in a few moments, the storm passed by, and I was in driving through the wet aftermath: glistening trees on a sun-drenched landscape under glowing billowing clouds. I found a small turnout where this beautiful creek wound its way through the mountains. It was then I wished I had more time to explore this beautiful part of Spray Lakes Provincial Park.
Hopefully another time.
Spray Lakes Provincial Park
AB Canada
The calm before the storm
I stood on the shores of Lake Sherburne watching the awakening of Many glacier in Glacier National Park. A gentle morning light fell on the rugged Rockies lighting up the numerous glacier carved valleys. The still waters of Lake Sherburne reflected this tranquility while the delightful sounds of passerine birds enveloped the shoreline. I can still remember the pleasant scent of morning pine carried over by the calm breeze.
It lasted but for a fleeting few minutes. No sooner had I finished capturing this beautiful scene than I heard the loud clap of distant thunder. And within moments, the morning light was replaced by a raging thunderstorm. I had barely gotten back to my car when the clouds broke, and the calmness was broken by rain like I had never seen before.
With each passing year, my memories of this trip to Glacier National park over 10 years ago slowly fade away, but looking at photos of that day instantly transports me back to that wonderful sunrise, and leaves behind a yearning to go back once again to recreate this wonderful memory.
Glacier National Park
MT USA
Morning in the Mountains
It had been a miserable evening. The wind never stopped howling. The rain never stopped beating. The thunder never died. The cold penetrated to my bones. And the thin atmosphere at this high altitude left me bereft of sleep. And it was just the first night of my 7-day solo trek into the heart of the Sierra Nevada
By morning, it seems as though the skies above had forgotten the ferment of last night. Foreboding grey clouds were replaced with puffy whites taking on the golden orange from the rising sun. The winds had been swept away, leaving behind an alpine stillness. The thunder had been replaced with the sweet chirps of mountain birds.
I can never forget that serene sunrise where I had sat there by a tarn, reminiscing what I had been through, and the transformation of both the outside weather and rejuvenation of my inner spirits. This calm mountain morning and the glow of the sun were a kindle to my flustered mind. I was now ready for the next six days.
Kings Canyon National Park
CA USA
The Steppes of Sonoma
Country roads wind amidst February meadows,
yellow mustard blossoms carpet the green,
rolling hills as far as the eye can see,
with vineyards and farmhouses dotting the scene.
Such is the magic of the Sonoma county as it turns a new leaf in spring.
Reading the tragic news about the wildfire ravaging through Napa and Sonoma valleys, leading to unprejudiced destruction of forests and communities alike harkened me back to a time when I was driving through this beautiful countryside after it had put on its spring coat. I can't imagine what it would be like to live through such a calamitous event that affected the lives of many.
I hope that this pastoral landscape and the thriving community that got affected recover quickly. You can do your part by donating to those affected by the fire https://www.gofundme.com/napa-sonoma-fires or http://www.sonomacf.org/sonoma-county-resilience-fund/
Petulama
CA USA
Storm in the Arashan
It was easy to see why this resort village, the Altyn Arashan, situated at the heart of the Central Tien Shan mountains, was purported to have restorative powers. It was partly the breath-taking surroundings of this pastoral camp, and partly due to the smattering of natural hot-water springs fed by the mineral rich waters of the region. But for me, it was the setting that took my breath away
Dramatic mountain ranges hemmed in V-shaped canyons draped with a patchwork lush green meadows and pristine coniferous forests that crept up the steep slopes on either side. A rough tumbling mud-track paralleled a narrow river carrying gurgling glacial-melt down the mountains, along which lay many traditional yurts and rustic lodges. Hiking and climbing opportunities were abound in this region, with every peak and every valley presenting new adventures.
It was indeed so breathtaking that I chose to spend an extra day here (and would have spent more time here exploring the beautiful landscape were it not for other constraints). And once I got out, I longed to go back to this paradise. And as a farewell, the sky presented this beautiful thunderstorm cell lighting up during sunset. I used a graduated ND filter in this single-exposure image shot at F11 at ISO 200 for 1.3s
Altyn Arashan
Kyrgyzstan