c/cloud-spotting-pics

I used to just look up at the sky, but now I keep a cloud journal with my phone's camera

I used to think cloud photos needed a perfect blue sky

For a long time, I only grabbed my phone when the sky was totally clear except for one cool cloud. Then, about two months ago, I saw these amazing, rippled altocumulus clouds right before a big rain in Cincinnati. The whole sky was gray and moody, and the texture was incredible. I snapped a picture, and it's still my favorite. Does anyone else find the best cloud shots come during changing weather, not just on sunny days?

Got caught in a crazy storm chasing a shelf cloud in Kansas

I was on I-70 near Salina, trying to get a good shot of this massive shelf cloud rolling in. I pulled over at a rest stop, but the wind picked up so fast my tripod blew over and my camera hit the gravel. The lens cap cracked and I got dust all over the sensor. I had to pack up fast and drive east to get ahead of the rain, cleaning the gear in my car with a microfiber cloth I had. Has anyone else had a cloud spotting trip go wrong because of the weather?

My cousin said I'd never get a good shot of a shelf cloud without a real camera

He told me last spring that my phone camera would just make it look like a gray blur. I mean, I get it, phones aren't perfect. But I was out in Topeka after that big storm system passed, and I just held really still against my car door. The photo I got on my phone is super clear, you can see all the rough, rolling edges. It's now my favorite cloud picture. Has anyone else been told their gear wasn't good enough and proved it wrong?

My dad told me to always look west after a storm in Tucson for the best clouds, and yesterday I finally saw a perfect mammatus formation.

Has anyone else had a specific piece of location-based cloud advice that actually paid off?

Question about those weird, wavy 'undulatus' clouds

I spent like 45 minutes yesterday trying to get a good picture of some over my house in Phoenix, but the sun kept washing them out (my phone camera just couldn't handle it). Anyone have a trick for shooting clouds in super bright light?

Spent $80 on a cloud identification app that got almost every guess wrong

I was so excited to find an app that promised to name any cloud formation from a photo. I downloaded it, paid the full $80 for the 'pro' version, and spent a whole weekend in my backyard in Springfield testing it. I'd snap a picture of a clear cumulus, and it would call it a cirrus. A big, puffy altocumulus layer came back as 'stratus fractus'. It was wrong more than nine times out of ten. On one hand, I feel like I wasted that money on a tool that just doesn't work. On the other, maybe I learned to trust my own eyes and a good old field guide more than a phone. Has anyone else tried a cloud ID app and had it actually be useful, or are they all a bit of a scam?

Bought a cheap camera just for clouds and it changed my whole hobby

I got a used point-and-shoot camera for about $40 online, thinking I'd just use it to snap quick cloud pics. It's not fancy, but having a dedicated tool made me look up more and notice details I always missed. Last Tuesday, I caught a perfect lenticular cloud over the mountains that looked like a stack of plates. I would have never seen it if I wasn't carrying that little camera around. What's a small purchase that actually got you more into cloud spotting?

I used to think all clouds were just white fluff until a trip to Arizona last month

I was driving near Sedona and saw these crazy, long, skinny clouds that looked like someone drew lines across the whole sky. I pulled over and looked them up, and they were called 'cirrus fibratus' clouds. I had no idea clouds had such specific names and shapes! For my whole life, I just called them 'streaky clouds' and never thought more about it. Now I'm trying to learn the different types, and it makes looking up way more fun. Has anyone else had a moment where they learned a cloud type that totally surprised them?

I figured out how to catch those fast-moving shelf clouds right before a storm

I kept missing the best cloud shots because my phone camera was too slow to focus. Last Thursday, I saw a huge shelf cloud rolling in over the park and decided to try something different. I opened the video mode instead, recorded a 10-second clip, and then just pulled a still frame from it. The picture came out way clearer than any of my rushed photos ever have. Has anyone else found a good trick for shooting clouds that don't sit still?

My friend said all the best cloud photos are edited. Made me realize maybe we're missing the point.

Got called out for my cloud picture titles at a meetup in Portland

Someone there, a guy named Mark, told me my photo titles were too vague. He said 'Altocumulus' with no context helps nobody. He was right. I looked back at my posts. Just cloud names. No story. No feeling. Now I add a line about where I was or what it looked like to me. Saw some mammatus clouds over the river yesterday. Posted it as 'Mammatus rolling in like angry pillows before the storm hit.' Makes it better. Anyone else get feedback that changed how they share their pics?

My best cloud shot ever almost got ruined by a sudden downpour in Sedona

I was set up at Cathedral Rock last Tuesday, waiting for the perfect light on some amazing lenticular clouds. Right as I got the focus dialed in, the sky opened up and my camera got soaked. I had to sprint to my car, dry everything off with a t-shirt, and wait 20 minutes for the rain to stop. Has anyone else had a perfect cloud spotting moment totally wrecked by bad weather?

Got into a debate with my buddy about the best time to catch those crazy sunset clouds

He swears you have to be out there a full hour before the sun goes down to see the good stuff, but I think the magic happens in the last 20 minutes. I tested both ways over a week in July. The early hour gave me some nice, soft colors, but everything was still pretty flat. Waiting until about 8:20 PM, when the sun was really low, that's when the cirrus clouds over the lake near my place lit up like they were on fire, with these deep purple and orange streaks you just don't get earlier. The light hits the cloud bottoms at a sharper angle, making all the texture pop. It made the difference between a nice sky and a 'run inside to grab your phone' sky. Which camp are you in, the patient early bird or the last-minute dash?

I used to think 'mammatus clouds' were just a weird photo filter people used

I saw a picture from a storm chaser in Kansas last spring showing these crazy bubble-like clouds hanging down. I was sure it was edited. Then, driving home from my shift at 6 AM after a big thunderstorm passed through, I saw them myself over the city. The whole sky looked like a bumpy upside-down quilt, glowing pink from the sunrise. It was so strange and real, I pulled over just to stare. Totally changed my mind on the spot. Has anyone else had a moment where a cloud formation you didn't believe in turned out to be right above you?

Appreciation post: I looked up why clouds over the ocean look different and learned from a NOAA article that marine air has way more salt particles for water to cling to.

Has anyone else noticed this effect near a coast or is it just me?

Finally got a decent shot of a mammatus cloud after wasting $40 on a cheap phone filter.

The filter made everything blurry. Anyone know a good budget filter that actually works for sky shots?

Trying to get a photo of a perfect Kelvin-Helmholtz wave cloud took me two hours yesterday

I saw this amazing, tiny, breaking-wave shaped cloud from my yard in the late afternoon, but by the time I ran inside for my good camera, it had already started to dissolve. I spent the next two hours just staring at that patch of sky, waiting for another one to form, which it never did (I got a blurry phone pic, that's it). Does anyone else have a 'one that got away' cloud photo story?

I finally got a decent shot of a roll cloud after my friend said my old ones looked like a blurry blanket.

He told me to stop using my phone's auto mode and lock the focus on the horizon. Took this one yesterday over the lake and you can actually see the layers. Anyone know a good way to judge how fast a shelf cloud is moving?

My $80 cloud identification app was a total waste of cash

It kept freezing up and mislabeling basic cumulus clouds, so I just look things up online now. Has anyone found a decent app that actually works?

Appreciation post: I used to chase every weird cloud formation with my camera in Denver

Now I just watch them, because the pressure to get a perfect shot was ruining the moment for me. Anyone else find that sometimes the gear gets in the way of just enjoying the sky?

Okay, so I was trying to get a picture of these awesome mammatus clouds over my house yesterday

I grabbed my phone first, but the shots were just gray blobs. Then I ran inside for my old digital camera with the zoom lens, and the difference was crazy. The camera caught all the weird, pouch-like textures perfectly. Anyone have a good, cheap camera they use just for cloud pics?

Remember when you had to wait for film to see if a cloud shot turned out?

I was on a camping trip in the Adirondacks about 15 years ago and saw the most amazing lenticular cloud stack over the mountains, but my disposable camera ran out of shots. Now I just pull out my phone and take a dozen pictures in a minute. Does anyone else miss the surprise of getting your photos back, even if you missed the shot?

Saw a perfect example of mammatus clouds over the freeway yesterday

I was driving home from a job in Riverside and the sky just opened up with these crazy pouch-like clouds hanging down. I see people post pictures of any bumpy cloud and call it mammatus, but that's not quite right. The real thing has a very specific look, like a bunch of smooth, rounded sacks all in a row, not just random lumps. I pulled over to get a picture because the light was hitting them just right, turning them pink and gray. I learned about them from a cloud guide book my wife got me, and it said they often form under the anvil of a big thunderstorm. Sure enough, you could see the storm cell way off in the distance. It's a small thing, but getting the name right feels good, you know? Has anyone else seen a really clear case of mammatus lately?

I think the hype around mammatus clouds is a bit overblown

Last Tuesday in Denver, the sky filled with these pouch-like clouds after a storm. Everyone at the park was taking pictures, calling them 'incredible' and 'rare.' Honestly, I found them kind of boring. They just hung there, lumpy and gray, for nearly an hour without changing shape. I've seen more interesting shelf clouds that roll in with real motion. The whole thing felt static compared to a good, fast-moving altocumulus formation. Maybe I'm missing something, but they just look like the underside of a bumpy mattress. Has anyone else seen mammatus clouds and thought they were just okay?