The clouds have been rather amazing lately, and today I managed to get around to shooting before they all returned to the sky or banded together to blot out the sun. And I’m patting myself on the back a bit, since I actually left the confines of the apartment complex to shoot! I didn’t go far (just outside the gates on the other side, down the alley, and back in on my side), but it’s farther than I’ve ventured out alone with camera in hand in many months. Go Me.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4, ISO100, 1/500th, f/11, and rather heavily processed (for me) in Aperture – pulled back exposure by half a stop, increased black point and brightness, contrast pumped by 10% photo wide and by an extra 75% on the sky parts, Definition increased by 80% photo wide and an additional 75% on the sky parts, Polarized photo-wide at 75%, and Brightness/Saturation/Vibrancy increased by ~20% everywhere. Slightly overcooked, perhaps, but it was needed to draw attention to the cloudbirthing action. Fun stuff, though I usually prefer less obvious manipulation. Oh well.

Some robot somewhere thinks you might be interested in this, too:

365.154 ominous365.101 Somewhere North of Alpine, TX365.110 Tokina vs. Squirrel365.109 A bit past its prime, perhaps, but still beautiful

Sigma 30mm 1.4