This must be the summer of stunning skies. Morning or evening, even midday, it doesn’t seem to matter, the clouds are showing up. A few nights ago, after a downpour, I looked out the window to see the road in front of my house glowing in reflected light. Out in my yard I could see the sky was filled with an afterglow that lit up the bottoms of the clouds as they drifted along.

Clouds and sky are funny – you can’t wait until it gets better because the clouds drift out of sight, loose their shape, become something else. When you drive around looking for the best spot to get your picture (like I’ve done) you only lose your shot. The cloud’s ever changing nature may be what inspires me. You just have to grab your camera, find the right angle and shoot.

There was enough light that I could set my camera to a fast ISO and hand-hold the shot. No need for a tripod.

I was able to focus on the clouds using the dark treetops for contrast and to frame out the bottom of the shot. Shooting into the trees also eliminated the problem of the wires strung along the road.

I’ve been shooting a lot of sky recently. With my phone, with my camera, whichever I have at hand. What do you think about these pics – do you like the one with a bit of tree in the bottom right or with more trees?