About these images:

Most of these images of clouds, except the one in the upper/left, were photographed during the winter of 2004 - 2005.  The upper/left picture was an early success that served as an inspiration and a motivation for over 7 years.  Unlike most of the rest, it was largely an unplanned photograph.  A friend and I were touring the Vermont countryside one fine autumn day and decided to stop at a scenic reservoir just as the sun was going down.  We raced down to the shore, whipped out our cameras and photographed the beautiful reservoir and hillside, ablaze with autumn foliage.  I had a few frames left in the camera and wanted to get the roll developed quickly, so I looked about for something else of interest.  The dramatic, sunset sky, with lots of arriving storm clouds, volunteered.  And hence the picture.

Many of these images depict very dramatic cloud patterns at sunrise or sunset.  For sure, the actual scenics were beautiful, but most photographic films cannot capture the subtleties of light and contrast as well as the human eye. Where high contrast occurs in the photograph, shadows tend to be darkened and those parts of the clouds appear darker than the eye perceives. In scanning the images I have strived to make them true to the original transparency in both color and luminosity.

To photograph sunrises and sunsets one has to have patience to let the scene emerge and develop.  It is necessary to arrive and be ready to shoot at least 20 minutes before sunrise or remain on site a few minutes after sunset.  Cloud patterns continually evolve and change shape and position, and in combination with the sun's position in the sky, will appear differently from moment to moment.

I have often been tempted to pack up the camera and tripod prematurely, as when the light seems to become uninteresting or remain so.  But more than once, just as I was putting the camera away or folding up the tripod - ready to call it quits - the sky surprised me and things became exciting.

In order for a sunrise/sunset to be photogenic, there must be at least some openings in the cloud bank at the horizon.  A solid bank of clouds at the horizon will obscure the sun, and the warmth it imparts to clouds. That's not to say that shades of gray are always boring.  The second image from the top in the left column is an example of how dramatic grays can be. In general, the lower the sun is on the horizon, the more will the red and magenta hues prevail.  The higher in the sky the sun is, the more will the oranges and yellows prevail.