Spring Storms

Yesterday was a day of sunshine and showers, some very heavy and filled with hail. A typical spring day in other words. Blue skies filled with dark rain clouds that might make for perhaps an interesting picture if I was lucky. 

Photographically, stormy weather is always more interesting than bland, which seems to be the norm here in the UK. So I was pleased to see this weather front and took the camera with me in the hope that something interestingly visual might arise.

And sure enough, in the afternoon this bloom of black storm clouds appeared and I knew if I could find a good rape-seed field, a picture might present itself. I drove to where I'd previously noted some fields as having pictorial potential and hoped the clouds and light would be right for a shot. When I arrived things looked perfect, but were changing quickly, and I knew I had to act fast. Grabbing the camera, I jumped out of the car, framed the shot and shot off a few frames before the sunlight, and the scene, vanished. The window of opportunity was perhaps as little as two minutes. 

I love the way the yellow of the rape seed is bathed in sunshine set against dark rain clouds which are feathered into blue sky. I framed the shot very traditionally with tractor tracks leading to the house on the horizon, which perhaps is a little boring, but I'm still pleased with the result. 

Leica M9 with 35mm Summicron, hand held, 1/750sec at f8, 160asa, no filter. 

This is where I parked and almost got stuck in the mud. The main picture was taken a few feet to right of the front of the car. Lazy photography! The storm front has passed by and the scene is once again bland.