photoartflightCloud Panoramas From Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Posted on July 31, 2018
We went to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge outside of Cambridge, Maryland to see what subjects we could find to photograph. These images were taken along the Wildlife Drive. The Eagles were scarce, only saw a few in the distance, but we kind of expected that. But in the Winter months Blackwater has one of the highest numbers of Eagles in the Northeast. So we were concentrating on Dragonflies, other birds, panoramas and sunrises & sunsets. The featured image was 4 Horizontal shots @24mm, assembled in Photoshop. With wide angle lenses for panoramas, I tend to overlap more than when using long telephoto lenses. The wider the focal length the more overlapping shots I do. These images were shot on or near the long Observation Platform along the 4 mile Wildlife Drive. The above featured image was 4 horizontal shots @ 24mm. On the right side of the featured image you can see part of the Observation Platform. These images were taken with the Canon 24-105mm lens or the Sigma 12-24mm lens. The Blackwater NWR includes more than 28,000 acres of tidal marsh, mixed hardwood and loblolly pine forests, managed freshwater wetlands and croplands. The Blackwater & Little Blackwater Rivers flow through the refuge so I guess that is where they got the name Blackwater NWR.
3 Horizontal Images @ 24mm
3 Vertical Images Combined For Horizontal Image @ 24mm
4 Vertical Images Combined For Horizontal Final Image @24mm
3 Vertical Images Combined for Horizontal Final Image @ 24mm
4 Vertical Images Combined For Vertical Image @ 12mm
Bird Shaped Clouds
Posted on June 12, 2018
This series of cloud images reminded me of birds in flight. They sort of looked like a bird’s body and outstretched wings floating by in the sky. I tried a few cropping and focused on a few different cloud formations.
Sunbeam Through Opening In Clouds
Posted on April 2, 2018
While I was working on files from a previous visit to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland, I came across this image of a sunbeam shining through an opening in the cloud cover. I used a 400mm lens to isolate the beam so it was more prominent in the image. With a wider view, the sunbeam did not seem to stand out as much. I think the beam as is, is prominent enough against the clouds and I did not want to enhance the beam to make it stand out more, opting for a more natural look.
Double Sunbeams, 400mm f/4 with 1.4x Teleconverter
Firey Clouds With Moon
Posted on February 18, 2018
I was taking images of wispy cloud formations as the sun was going down. Got a lot of variations including multiple panoramas, some verticals and some horizontals. I liked the warm colors of the clouds and all the variations of clouds across the sky, getting quite a few images of different clouds and compositions. When I was done I noticed the moon was visible now, so I shot another series with the moon, as shown above.
Early Morning Clouds At Blackwater NWR
Posted on February 13, 2018
This is from a previous visit to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland. We like photographing there for Bald Eagles and landscapes. Being close to the coast, you can get some amazing vibrant colors at sunrise and sunset. This is a little after sunrise and the clouds were fantastic. Shot multiple areas along the Wildlife Drive and this is one in a series. (Once I have a chance to get to the others!)
Mackerel Sky
Posted on January 15, 2018
As we were taking a walk, we saw this unusual cloud formations. I do not think I ever saw this before, or maybe I just was not looking. After researching on the internet, it seems to be called a Mackerel Sky. I only had my iPhone with me and I did not want to use the panorama mode. I shot 3 vertical images with a lot of overlap so I could assemble them in Photoshop. If I did not allow for a lot of overlap, it would have been a problem assembling them without a lot of distortion because of the small iPhone lens.
These clouds form high in the sky, and the afternoon sun catching their underbellies gives them a dappled, silvery sheen.
That’s because cirrus clouds – thin, wispy, collections of ice crystals – are harbingers of change. They form from small amounts of moisture in the air ahead of approaching weather fronts. As a front draws nearer, sturdier clouds gather and the weather changes.
Mackerel-type cirrocumulus can be an indicator of warm winds lifting up and flowing out from a distant thunderstorm. The ripples form when humid air at the far-flung edges of the storm system pushes past clear, cool air high in the sky. It’s the resistance of the cool air to this motion that causes the ripples.
Ridges of cloud form where water vapour cools and condenses, while troughs of space form where it warms and re-evaporates. When gentle ripples begin to form across the entire sky, it’s a good bet that the storm or its remnants will arrive in just a few hours.
I guess at my age I am still learning something new! Now I just have to Remember IT!
Eye Of The Sky
Posted on July 10, 2017
I liked this cloud formation we saw at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, in Cambridge, Maryland. I never saw one that sort of looked like a “Porthole” or Doughnut and in such a large area. I tried a few different compositions, no foreground, foreground in vertical and horizontal formats. All were shot with a 17-40mm at 17mm.
More Cloudscapes From Davidson Mill Pond
Posted on June 11, 2017
Here are a few more panoramas from our outing to Davidsons Mill Pond Park. Some are regular panoramas, and some are stacked multi-row panoramas, like the featured image.
5 image panorama, 14mm, m43 camera
4 image stacked pano, 2 img x 2 img
6 img multi stack pano @14mm, m43 camera
4 img multi stack pano, horizontal, combined in 2 rows of 2 @14mm, m43 camera
4 img pano @14mm, m43 camera
3 images, horizontal, stacked vertically, @14mm, m43 camera
2 images, horizontal format, stacked vertically, 14mm, m43 camera
2 images, horizontal format, stacked vertically, 14mm, m43 camera
Parting Of Clouds
Posted on May 19, 2017
I like photographing clouds. You do not have to go anywhere to photograph them. Just look up. I know there are amazing areas to go for landscapes and clouds, but my work keeps me from traveling to distant locations. Some day I hope to do that. Plus I also use them a lot for backgrounds in my e-books. Either full strength or slightly ghosted with other images and text on top. I am happy to see what I can get the most out of close to home. I guess it is more of a challenge to see what I come up with.
Shot with an iPhone 6 with the ProCamera app (2 shots) in HDR mode during a walk. Adjusted slightly in Photoshop.
Early Morning Cloudscape Panorama
Posted on April 1, 2017
I liked the colors and shapes of these early morning clouds. I did not want to use a wide angle lens because I did not want a lot of foreground and darker sky above the clouds. I used a 400mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter with a series of 7 overlapping handheld images combined in Photoshop CC2017. This way I can also print it quite large if I wanted.
photoartflight 