Irridescent cloud

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 21, 201186 views11 comments

In case it's not obvious, this is the Masai Mara!

We were there a couple of years back or so and were out on an evening game drive when I noticed the most outrageous clouds up above.
I believe this is an irridescent cloud - but if someone knows better, I'd be very interested to know more... I did a little research at the time and this was the closest match I could find.
Taken with a 300mm lens - I isolated a patch of cloud that had the best combination of shape and colour. I have another I will post later which has more colour but does not work as well compositionally.
Any thoughts welcome as well as any more info about these kind of clouds. Many thanks.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on July 21, 2011 at 2:13 PM

I love it when that happens! Great abstract cloud grab!

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

Comment posted by Stan Rose on July 21, 2011 at 2:44 PM

Really cool, Lizzie--the meteorologist in me approves! Looks like a pileus cloud maybe on top of a thunderstorm, the strong updraft punching through the jet stream. Definitely some nice color there.

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

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on July 21, 2011 at 3:08 PM

Very cool clouds Lizzie. Looking at your large version is really quite fascinating! Nice capture too.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Robert Stough on July 21, 2011 at 3:10 PM

Very nice cloudscape Lizzie. I've seen this kind of prismatic effect many times but doing it justice isn't easy and this is an excellent job.

Registered on November 20, 2010, 26 Posts, 273 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 21, 2011 at 3:43 PM

Neat. I like the way the 300mm perspective isolates the phenomenon.

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

Comment posted by Peter Richter on July 21, 2011 at 3:51 PM

Lizzie, your image works very well for me as a cool abstract! Especially the larger version shows the different textures in a compelling way

I just think of cropping a bit from the right and the bottom, to place the main focal point more off centered. But that might be purely a matter of opinion.

Peter

Registered on November 10, 2010, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments

Comment posted by Lizzie Shepherd on July 21, 2011 at 5:14 PM

Many thanks for the comments everyone - really glad this works for you, given there is no context... Very interested to hear some of the suggestions about what might be going on with the clouds and will have to look that up. Something I'd love to know more about but, the older I get, the more I forget! ;-)
Peter - I see your point - particularly in terms of cropping from below. Compositionally I think you are right - equally I'd be losing something of the formation. One to think about... - but thanks for the suggestion.
In the meantime, I'm posting a different view - not as good a composition but more colourful! That said, it does resemble some fire throwing dragon or the like?

Registered on March 2, 2011, 18 Posts, 120 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 22, 2011 at 11:09 AM

This works very well. As noted by others capturing the iridescence is challenging. Coupling that with the dark cumulus clouds in the LR adds a lot of drama. Here on the East Coast USA, we see iridescent commonly in the winter when we get lots of high cirrus clouds but very rarely is there any associated drama. Nice shot!

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Chikku Baiju on July 22, 2011 at 1:18 PM

Thats some very interesting light. Never seen that before. A great cloud abstract as well.

Registered on January 9, 2010, 31 Posts, 246 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 22, 2011 at 8:49 PM

Cool phenomenon and image.

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

Comment posted by Lizzie Shepherd on July 24, 2011 at 1:53 PM

And thank you Mark, Chikku and Morris

Registered on March 2, 2011, 18 Posts, 120 Comments