Empty Sky

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 2, 2010631 views44 comments

Northern Mojave Desert

Every now and then you can find something in the sky that becomes the subject and you don't have to worry about your foreground being nothing but the great wide open desert. With all the wind I caught a few mouthfuls of dirt but for the most part my back was to the strong winds other wise with out my goggles I probably wouldn't have been able to keep my eyes open.

3 vertical shots stiched.

Comments

44 comments

Comment posted by Jimmy Gekas on March 2, 2010 at 12:52 PM

Dang! That is one amazingly cool cloud. You're right, who needs a foreground?

Registered on July 26, 2007, 244 Posts, 2807 Comments

Comment posted by Ricardo La Piettra on March 2, 2010 at 12:54 PM

That´s quite a subject for sure Steve, what an amazing cloud formation!. Great photo

Registered on July 22, 2009, 62 Posts, 730 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 2, 2010 at 1:03 PM

Wow, what a cloud! great color too. I like the way you have the desert in the scene. Works really nice.

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on March 2, 2010 at 1:03 PM

I would of went for a horizontal view but the dang thing was to wide for my 17mm.

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Rossbach on March 2, 2010 at 1:16 PM

awesome formation!!

Registered on November 25, 2005, 484 Posts, 1377 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on March 2, 2010 at 1:21 PM

Wild! How cool is that? No fg required for sure (although an SI swimsuit model might have made a nice addition

)

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Mohsen Al-Dajani on March 2, 2010 at 1:36 PM

Registered on August 23, 2007, 160 Posts, 432 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on March 2, 2010 at 1:39 PM

What a subject, what a cloud! Who needs to worry about a foreground when you have such an amazing cloud. Well composed and processed.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Mitch Erwin on March 2, 2010 at 2:05 PM

Wicked cool formation there Steve!

Registered on April 24, 2006, 98 Posts, 656 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on March 2, 2010 at 2:36 PM

Wow, that's one wicked storm.. especially for california! Looks like a tornado was a about to touch down!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on March 2, 2010 at 2:43 PM

You don't often see skies, or clouds that don't need to anchored with a foreground, but this is definately one of them. Very impressive cloud formation here.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on March 2, 2010 at 3:02 PM

WOW !!! FANTASTIC SHOT

Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Aleksandra Miesak on March 2, 2010 at 3:07 PM

The inclusion of the landscape adds to the incredible size of this monster cloud! Another WOW!

Registered on March 1, 2009, 15 Posts, 133 Comments

Comment posted by Emmanuel Coupe on March 2, 2010 at 3:10 PM

Nice one Steve, great cloud.

Registered on March 17, 2007, 83 Posts, 341 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Cartamil on March 2, 2010 at 3:20 PM

Awesome shot Steve, you are gonna inspire many people to head out to the Mojave and see what they're missing. My one experience in this desert was that it was just as beautiful as other CA deserts, you just had to dig a little deeper. Great shots from this region!

Registered on November 15, 2007, 50 Posts, 601 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on March 2, 2010 at 3:33 PM

Very nice clouds! Perfect shot!

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Capurso on March 2, 2010 at 3:53 PM

This is wild, Steve. Reminds me of the great and powerful Oz!

Mark Capurso
Phoenix, AZ

Registered on January 4, 2008, 47 Posts, 321 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on March 2, 2010 at 5:03 PM

OMG - this is a cloud in its own class. Holy ****

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on March 2, 2010 at 6:12 PM

Yep, it's all about the cloud in this one. Great formation. And well captured.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on March 2, 2010 at 6:32 PM

Awesome I'm glad you all like it. My darn chair broke last night so I edited this shot this morning while sitting on a trash with a couch pillow on top of it. I've got a new chair now thank god, really screws up your back not sitting right.

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on March 2, 2010 at 6:49 PM

Cool cloud!!! Got it wider too? You do seem to get out in the wind storms. Your equipment does not end up with sand in it?

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Laurent Baig on March 2, 2010 at 7:10 PM

Wow, pretty wild cloud formation!

Registered on January 12, 2005, 206 Posts, 6784 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Kim on March 2, 2010 at 7:36 PM

Wow, what an insane cloud formation.

Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on March 2, 2010 at 7:53 PM

That is a wild looking cloud, Steve.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Pelton on March 2, 2010 at 8:50 PM

One of the coolest clouds I have ever seen. Excellent capture, Steve.

Registered on November 25, 2003, 380 Posts, 4647 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on March 2, 2010 at 11:01 PM

Man I miss big storms. I went storm chasing after college but wasnt into photography like now. Very cool sky! And 3 vertical? woah. would have thought 3 horizontal. Great job

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on March 2, 2010 at 11:03 PM

Impressive! Does this type of cloud even have a name? Darn it. Stan's already posted. You'd think he could've been more helpful here.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Ewert on March 2, 2010 at 11:42 PM

Crazy awesome, Steve. Wow!

Registered on June 2, 2009, 103 Posts, 1500 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Wong on March 3, 2010 at 2:02 AM

Massive cloud, Steve. Smart idea with the goggles. I wear contacts and won't even go to the desert on days when it is windy.

Registered on February 2, 2006, 79 Posts, 2629 Comments

Comment posted by Verena & Georg Pop on March 3, 2010 at 2:19 AM

cool cloud! yeah, no need for any fg here for sure...
georg

Registered on July 5, 2006, 272 Posts, 2823 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on March 3, 2010 at 3:35 AM

incredible skies there steve. well done.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on March 3, 2010 at 5:25 AM

Now, that is an impressive cloud formation! What an amazing take on it. Well done!

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments

Comment posted by Rafael Rojas on March 3, 2010 at 6:59 AM

Wonderful cloud formation. You just needed an empty piece of land to anchor that...Gorgeous!

Registered on March 1, 2009, 56 Posts, 623 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Maile on March 3, 2010 at 7:02 AM

That's just crazy Steve!!!

Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments

Comment posted by Jay Nielsen on March 3, 2010 at 7:25 AM

That is one intense cloud! It looks like something from a movie about to morph into huge monster.

Registered on October 6, 2008, 137 Posts, 720 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on March 3, 2010 at 10:31 AM

Wow, nice cloudscape Steve!

Mark

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Luis Argerich on March 3, 2010 at 10:49 AM

This is an unbeliavable cloud formation. Congrats!

Registered on December 22, 2009, 91 Posts, 1349 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on March 3, 2010 at 11:06 AM

Harley, Just cover it up with a bag or jacket and don't try to switch lenses or mess with any filters besides a polarizer or protective filters. I do not have the same exact scene wider but if an image creates curiosity it's a good thing right? Well I don't claim to be an expert and I'm more just really enthused photography so I'll explain why I think it works, who knows weather it is right or not.

I've got 3 points of interest here, the first is the large curve taking up most of the scene, second is the slightly off centered funnel looking bottom of the lenticular cloud and thirdly the hole in the horizon which is the exit of the scene. The ground merely anchors the viewer in a lifesize way.

I'm just glad this image had a good turn out on the net since it lacks the usual heavy saturation and high contrast that popular work from me and others might have.

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on March 3, 2010 at 11:14 AM

Amazing cloud formation, nice job with the vertical stitch.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Rudy Ruberti on March 3, 2010 at 2:08 PM

Amazing cloud formation and I like the way you presented it here. Cool shot, Steve!

Registered on October 28, 2008, 179 Posts, 1875 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Lawson on March 3, 2010 at 11:26 PM

Great cloud formation. No reason to emphasize foreground when the sky looks like that.

Registered on March 3, 2008, 29 Posts, 337 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Goldstein on March 4, 2010 at 3:17 PM

That is one crazy looking cloud system! Very cool.

Registered on March 18, 2006, 119 Posts, 878 Comments

Comment posted by Tyson Fisher on March 4, 2010 at 6:27 PM

That's what I call an ominous sky. The cloud formation looks huge. Love the spontaneity of this one.

Registered on September 17, 2008, 44 Posts, 623 Comments

Comment posted by Kris Johnson on March 12, 2010 at 9:07 PM

Love it!

Registered on March 6, 2010, 26 Posts, 299 Comments