The Art of Clouds: The Beauty of the Sky Through a Photographer's Lens

7. Techniques for Capturing Cloud Motion

Advertisement

Though they could seem still in one picture, clouds are always moving and formed by atmospheric conditions and wind. By capturing this motion, cloud photography can have a dynamic element that produces photographs reflecting the always shifting character of the sky. Several methods photographers can use will help them to properly capture cloud motion. Among the most often used techniques are long exposure photography. Using neutral density filters to block light entering the camera allows photographers to stretch their exposure durations to several seconds or perhaps minutes. This method produces in moving clouds a blurring, streaky look that generates motion and the passage of time in a still image. From modest blurring to dramatic streaks across the sky, the exposure's length can be changed to produce various effects. Another very effective method for highlighting cloud motion is time-lapse photography. Photographs taken at regular intervals can be combined into a film to compress hours of cloud movement into seconds, therefore exposing patterns and behaviors invisible to the unaided eye. This method is especially good for recording the building and dispersal of clouds, storm system approach, or the change from day to night. There is also the method of cloud stacking for individuals who like stretching the possibilities in cloud photography. This entails repeatedly exposing the same picture over time and then judiciously combining them in post-processing to illustrate the development of clouds across the sky in one image. This can produce dreamlike, surreal effects that subvert the viewer's sense of space and time. Capturing cloud motion calls for careful planning, technical ability, and usually a lot of patience regardless of the approach utilized. Still, the results can be quite amazing and provide an original viewpoint on the dynamic character of our atmosphere.