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Parked up in the Pen Barras car park at the foot of Moel Famau one stormy dawn.
I had been contemplating a pre-work climb to the summit of the highest peak in the Clwydian range, but the onset of rain had changed my mind about that - I don't like getting cold and wet at the same time!.
Never the less, I decided to stay put and see what the approaching dawn brought in terms of dramatic lighting. After all, the clouds to the east weren't as heavy as those raining on me from overhead and if the sun could light them from beneath I could be be for a spectacular show.
A few minutes later the clouds on the horizon started to pick up the first faint pink tinges of twilight and I started to get excited at the prosect of seeing something special.
Well, over the next quarter of an hour the clouds to the east went through a spectacular range of colours and lighting effects as the sun got closer and closer to the horizon.
I was busy enjoying the show and firing off my camera as the show unfolded.
I paid careful attention to the red channel on my camera's histogram, not wanting to blow out this channel with the intense reds and oranges I was seeing.
Of all the photos I took, this one is my favourite, with just the right balance of light and dark through the frame.
A few minutes after this photo was taken the sun rose and for a brief moment there was a gorgeous rainbow over the Vale of Clywd, which only lasted a few seconds before the sun disappeared into the clouds and everything turned to grey.
Still, for a few minutes I was in the right place at the right time to witness a truly beautiful event. Thank you God!
Filename - clouds 08.jpg
Camera - Canon 5D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 28mm
Exposure - 1/13sec @ f11, ISO100
Location - Moel Famau, North Wales
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2
Comments - Tripod, mirror lock up and cable release used to prevent camera movement.
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2024 unless otherwise stated.