Clouds Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Susan Brandt Graham Photography

August 11, 2016August 11, 2016

Crepuscular Rays

Crepuscular Rays of Light – Beauty and Brevity

Crepuscular rays of light, “fingers of God,” and other names are beautiful atmospheric optics. August 2016 has been remarkable for their appearance over the Sandia Mountains. I’ve been able to photograph this phenomenon at sunrise twice in less than a week. Of note, many images on the internet were taken at sunset rather than sunrise, and the rays will appear pointing down. (The rays are actually parallel, but that is another discussion.)

This was the first. It was the most dramatic example I have personally ever seen.

This is the second. This sunrise was more typical. The rays and sky were “gentle.”

Phenomena like this do not last long. Within two minutes, the rays were almost gone.

Note that the days are getting shorter. Compare the time of the first image to the time of the second image, just a few days later.

Photographers in Albuquerque know the skies during monsoon season may present even more wonderful opportunities than usual. Many of us remember the summer of 2009 as being full of marvelous skies. This year, friends are capturing amazing images of the lightning storms we have had recently. Sunrises, which I have enjoyed for many years, are proving to be even more remarkable to me this monsoon season of 2016.

Edited to add: Added bonus: a rainbow to the west a little later in the morning!

March 7, 2016

Dramatic Sunset

A dramatic sunset, that appears to be stormy. The afternoon and evening were actually quite calm. In this case, looks were a bit deceiving.
The sun has clearly moved farther north, as we approach the equinox.

November 5, 2015

Better View

A Better View May Be Behind You. Be Sure to Look in All Directions

“A better view may be behind you” is taught in photography classes almost as much as what “aperture” means. Over the years I have definitely learned to look around. I may not always find “a better view,” but sometimes I will, and will often find something worth photographing in addition to the “main attraction,” whatever that is.

The first freeze of the season is predicted for Albuquerque tonight (November 5). Yesterday morning as the first of the storm appeared, we were treated to a glowing sunrise, stormy, with fog and clouds drifting in and out of the valleys on the mountains, separating them into layers.

When I glanced around, almost by accident and not really expecting much in the western sky, there was a rainbow! I’m not really suggesting that the rainbow could outdo the sunrise, but, as common as rainbows are here looking east toward the mountains in late afternoons, they are relatively uncommon in the morning. The rainbow was an unexpected surprise, and a reminder to always look around to see what is there!

New Mexico skies – always beautiful, never boring, and no better view anywhere. 🙂

September 10, 2015

Morning Sky

Morning Sky in the “Land of Enchantment”

Morning sky: what a way to start the day here in New Mexico, “Land of Enchantment.” And, it seems never to be the same. Day in and day out, the morning sky is different from the day before.

The very colorful sky is short-lived. Today it was four minutes, and that is typical. Over the years I have learned many of the signs that signal the possibility of a spectacular sunrise or sunset, or rainbow, and, every now and then, other phenomena.

Skies like this do not happen without clouds. If I see clouds when I awaken, I’ll watch, with camera near, and start to photograph as soon as color appears. I’ll continue photographing until the color fades. I’ve watched the position of the morning sun change throughout the seasons. I understand the expression, “up before the birds.” (The birds do come to feed shortly thereafter, though.)

Just one more amazing morning sky in New Mexico. (The intense colors at present are probably contributed to by the smoke from fires in California.)

August 17, 2015

Some Rainbow! Some Sky!

Tonight’s sky and its rainbow were rare, even by New Mexico standards. Although this view from my house shows a boiling sky with much turbulence up above, there was no wind at my house and, sadly, no rain. Other places nearby, however, got both.

Several things were unusual about this rainbow. First, it was essentially a single rainbow, in contrast to the many double rainbows seen frequently in Albuquerque. Even triple and quadruple rainbows are not unheard of here. A single rainbow is relatively uncommon.

On close inspection, the rainbow appears not to have a smooth edge or smooth curve, in contrast to what is usually seen. Low clouds were passing by, and light from the sun in the west was broken up in different places by these clouds, giving a somewhat jagged appearance. At one point, the rainbow appeared to be cut in half by a passing cloud.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about this rainbow was the length of time it lasted. I do not know how long it was out there before I saw it. I began photographing at 7:15:29 pm, and stopped at 7:36:13 pm. Remnants were still visible near the base when I came in. A minimum of 21 minutes is a very long time for a rainbow to remain visible, at least here in the desert!

Of course, the dominant feature in the sky was the cloud/clouds. For all of that upper level turbulence, it was calm on the ground at my house. And, the whiteness at sunset is somewhat unusual for clouds, even looking east to the Sandia Mountains.

Once again, Albuquerque and New Mexico had an amazing sky. Thanks for your patience with this oft-used phrase, dear readers.

July 12, 2015

Dawn, 24 Hours Apart

Dawn, 24 hours apart during this active monsoon season, looked very different. Each was beautiful, as New Mexico skies tend to be.

At 6:05 MDT on July 10, a light rain was still falling, after significant overnight rainfall. The overcast sky was like a giant umbrella casting back a beautiful orange pink glow, while individual clouds in the mountains provided separation and depth to the Sandias. Although colorful, it was a gentle sunrise.

The following day, at 5:47 MDT, slightly less than 24 hours later, a very different dawn appeared. The sky was clear with only a few wispy clouds, and the moon seems to sparkle as the day dawned. It was just as beautiful in its own way as the sky had been the day before.

Although different, each was typical of a sunrise in New Mexico, “Land of Enchantment” and remarkable light with amazing skies.

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015

Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico

Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico includes the river, the bosque, and metropolitan Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, and others. While cities and villages are included, there are also many rural areas, even at times within the cities and villages. I spent yesterday with good friends exploring parts of the Corrales area I had never seen, ending the evening on their deck for wonderful food and great conversation.

These images are not spectacular in the sense of being in any way unusual. These are very typical images from a summer afternoon in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.

This area is known for its double rainbows. It is rare to see a single rainbow. If you look closely you will see that the main rainbow includes a double portion in at least the middle of the arc, while a portion of another bright rainbow is in the left of the image. It was a beautiful sky.

When I got home last night, on the opposite side of the river, I found 1/2 inch of water in my rain gauge. The rain falling behind the rainbows was falling at my house!

It was a perfect ending to a beautiful – and typical – summer day in the Middle Rio Grande Valley!

May 3, 2015May 4, 2015

Spooky Full Moon

Spooky full moon – the words themselves make me think more of Halloween than a beautiful spring evening.

As the moon rose over the mountains, it was initially simply a beautiful moon.

Very quickly, however, clouds began to move in, with some possibility of rain overnight. At the first appearance of the clouds, the moon did not appear too spooky.

But, in a very short period of time, the moon with heavier clouds definitely had a spooky appearance.

It really is a beautiful spring evening, although that is not the mood conveyed in the last image.

February 25, 2015

Winter Sunset

Winter Sunset, both East and West

Winter sunset. This was a two-for-one, with interesting things going on both to the east over the Sandias, as well as in the sky to the west. A “winter storm” is due tomorrow, with perhaps 4 inches of snow in the city by Friday. Turbulence is certainly evident in the sky looking west.

We see lenticular clouds over the mountains not infrequently in the winter. I like lenticular clouds. I also enjoy the alpenglow of the Sandias. It does not last long, but it is striking when it appears. This view, looking eastward, appears “calm” to me.

The winter sky looking westward could not have had a more different appearance, and it is anything but “calm.”

The skies here are never boring, and often are quite interesting. This was a great two-for-one sunset.

February 24, 2015February 24, 2015

Winter Sunrises

Winter Sunrises in New Mexico

Winter sunrises in New Mexico are as variable as the winter weather. We do have winter here, and every few years Albuquerque will have a heavy snowfall, such as 22 inches in 2006, or extreme cold, such as -12°F one night in 2011 and temps not above 5°F for three days. But those are extremes.

This was sunrise on a winter day in Albuquerque. It was cold; gusty winds contributed to the wind chill; it snowed a bit; and there was a fair amount of sun! Tomorrow will be warmer and less windy!

This is about as bad as it gets in Albuquerque at this time of the year.

Many winter days, and winter sunrises, in contrast, are spectacular!

This sunrise was less than a week ago, on a day that was unseasonably warm and beautiful.

I do not have to be reminded how fortunate I am to call this “Land of Enchantment” home. Last winter I felt sorry for various friends in the Northeast dealing with the Polar Vortex. This year it seems to be not only cold, but wave after wave after wave of deep and heavy snow – blizzards!! Facebook friends are comparing various snowblowers, or concern about husbands having heart attacks while shoveling snow, and a variety of such concerns. (I keep thinking I really ought to buy a new snow shovel; I still have the one I had in Kansas City, and that was 30 years ago!! 🙂 ))))))) )

With the publication of the ebook, BOSTON SOLSTICE BLUES, a collection of 51 daily poems written in another year, between December 5 and January 24, friend, fellow anthropologist, and writer Jim Stallings has reminded me again how glad I am to be here and not there! On his blog, Jim has described how these poems came to be written. Of note, Jim and his wife are now living in a much warmer place!

A final happy note, at least from my perspective: Daylight Savings Time is almost here!!!! Sunday, March 8, is the day we will “spring forward” at 2:00am. One of my favorite days of the year!

Category: Clouds

Crepuscular Rays

Crepuscular Rays of Light – Beauty and Brevity

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Dramatic Sunset

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Better View

A Better View May Be Behind You. Be Sure to Look in All Directions

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