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Somewhere Way Up In The Sky


Somewhere Way Up In The Sky
Photo Information
Copyright: Loot Eksteen (loot) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5682 W: 603 N: 3356] (8935)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-10-11
Categories: Birds, Sky
Camera: Cannon EOS 350D, Sigma 170-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO Ultra DG, Digital ISO 200, UV 86mm Kenko
Exposure: f/13.0, 1/1000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Travelogue: Kruger National Park - 2006
Theme(s): Skies, Clouds & Storm Clouds, Clouds, ~~ Clouds, Clouds and Clouds ~~, A study in Geography, !!! STOLEN PHOTOS !!! I, Storms or Stormy Skies [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-12-15 10:09
Viewed: 1652
Favorites: 4 [view]
Points: 54
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Lenticular wave clouds - Altocumulus standing lenticularis.

A Cloud
I'm a wonder to behold.
A marshmallow if you will.
On sunny days,
I'm as white and fluffy as can be.
On cloudy days,
I'm shades of shadowy grey.

I float gracefully across the sky, a work of Art.
And if you look closely enough you'll see,
that I can become anything you Imagine me to be.
A poem by Bernadette Marie Zvonek.

While I'm no authority on meteorology or cloud formations, it does not take a specialist to realise that this cloud arrangement was something out of the ordinary. I have never seen such clouds before so I could not pass it by without taking a shot and share it with my TN friends. The photo was taken in the Kruger Park, near the Nkuhlu picnic site, looking east towards the 433m high Muntshe Mountain, situated north of Lower Sabie camp, and which forms part of the greater Lebombo mountain range. These mountains apparently played a large part in the creation of this unusual cloud formation.

My research on the Internet suggest that these are lenticular wave clouds high up in the sky (6,000-12,000m high) that became visible through the large opening in a cumulus cloud which forms in the lower stratum normally below 4,000m, but let's see what the boffin's say.

A cloud is a visible mass of condensed water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere above Earth's (or another planetary body's) surface.

The condensing water vapor forms small droplets of water (typically 0.01mm) or ice crystals that, when surrounded with billions of other droplets or crystals, are visible as clouds. Clouds reflect all visible wavelengths of light equally and are thus white, but they can appear grey or even black if they are so thick or dense that sunlight cannot pass through.

Clouds on other planets often consist of material other than water, depending on local atmospheric conditions (what gases are present, and the temperature). Source.

A wave cloud forms at high altitudes due to the effects of orographic lift, normally aligned at right-angles to the wind direction. Wave clouds are actually long strings of lenticular clouds, created when stable moist air passes over a mountain range or geographic feature and a series of large scale standing waves forms on the downwind side.

As an air mass travels through the wave it undergoes repeated uplift and descent. In the uplift previously clear air may cool sufficiently for a cloud to form. In the descending part of the wave this cloud will evaporate, leading to the characteristic repeating cloud/clear bands of a wave cloud. Under certain conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds can form at the crest of these waves, creating a formation known as a wave cloud. Source.

Post Processing was done with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.
roconnell, ellis49, Janice, RAP, oscarromulus, SunToucher, blakitan, horia, anel, Luc, peter_stoeckl, jeanpaul, anahory, uleko, flagman, ramthakur, pilonm, sAner, CTP, hester, marhowie, Dyker, sranjan, Miss_Piggy has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To sAner: Curiosity will kill me.loot 2 12-26 07:06
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Loot,
even a simple subject as the sky can be a beautiful picture as you present here. The colours and pattern are beautiful.
People in all times has been fascinate of clouds and by the formations.
Beautiful work, my friend.

The constrasting shapes and sizes are wonderfully captured. The soaring bird adds a focal point and gives the composition a sense of scale. Well done.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3410 W: 144 N: 5798] (17183)
  • [2006-12-15 13:47]

Hey Loot - this looks like the physical stairway to heaven!! And well taken with the bird soaring like an eagle.
Interesting shot my friend,
Janice

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2006-12-15 15:04]

Una imagen entre minimalista y poética, como la defines en tus notas estimado amigo.
No hay mucho que decir sobre la misma... bellos colores, bien encuadrada y con toda la pasión e imaginación del autor incluida.
Mis mejores deseos... Ricardo

An image among minimalist and poetic, as you define it in your notes dear friend.
It is not necessary to say a lot about the same one... beautiful colors, well framed and with all the passion and imagination the author included.
My best wishes... Ricardo

Loot,
A very well captured "staircase", a rare phenomena; saw
it once in Mozambiuqe... had no camera.
Very beautifully done.
Loved your quote of the poetry by BMZ.
That vulture soaring in that immensity of the heavens
has made this image A1.
Best regards,Mario.

Hi Loot,
A pleasant surprise photo from you. And it is a beauty. The cloud formation is very interesting and you captured it perfectly. Great work on the exposure and the overall color. What really adds to the composition is the silhoutte of the eagle, it makes it special. Just a small pitty you had a dust spot on the lens.
TFS<
Niek

Hi Loot,
Very nice blue sky decorated with pure white clouds. Amazing that you can still spot the bird.

Ben Lakitan

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2044 W: 212 N: 3655] (12162)
  • [2006-12-16 6:09]

Hi Loot

So simple yet so very beautiful!
At first, i thought you picture was only about the bird there (and i thought it was something rare and difficult to capture from close range). Then after reading your lovely notes, i understood what it was actually about and that the bird was only the cherry on top of the cake!
Only very few members would "dare" to post a photo about clouds and for that i have to say i respect you a lot for that. An interesing and unique idea! BRAVO!
The technical part was pretty much covered by other, more experiences photographers, so i'll resume myself to enjoying the originality of the shot.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1116 W: 0 N: 1835] (7840)
  • [2006-12-16 11:42]

Hi Loot,
I just love clouds of every type of shapes. This is a wonderful presentation, with a "plus", the bird, which appears like a special accent in the composition of the picture.
Best regards
Anne

Hi Loot,
sitting on my desk in front of the screen on a grey winter day under a foggy sky in the twilight of late afternoon I am grateful to see this fascinating window in the sky, the high flying vulture setting my spectator's spirits free to travel up up and away.
Well recorded atmospherical phenomenon in subtle shades of greys, blues and white.
And you are a lucky man obviously having the pleasure of an unscratched sky above you. One of the problems of Central Europe is airlines completely gone mad. Flying even shortest distances that could well be travelled by train, pumping tons of kerosene into the atmosphere, and scratching the sky all over the continent with their stripes of condensed exhaust, minute per minute.
Thank you for showing this window to freedom.
With thanks, and best regards,
Peter

Bonjour Lott
Une merveilleuse photo que ce Joli ciel pris a cette altitude avec comme prime cett oiseau même si il est loin.,très belle composition.Très joli ces nuages avec tous ces vagues on croirait voir un océan dans le cielC'est la première fois que je vois ce phénomène.Les couleurs et le cadrage et les détails sont tous très bons. La notine est très appréciée.
Bravo et merci amitié...JP

Hi Loot
this is a fascinating ,touching photo...it takes our thougts to unknown yet sublime places...I think this photo is about hope and joy!
TFS!

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2375 W: 164 N: 7131] (22536)
  • [2006-12-18 15:12]

Hi Loot,
I couldn't make this out when I first enlarged this - after all, the bird is rather insignificant! But now I see -- and understand -- after reading through your interesting note. A very clever observation - I don't suppose you would have noticed it if the bird hadn't been soaring above.
Many thanks, Ulla

Very unusual photo, I've never seen clouds like this before. Your excellent note suggests that they are an extreme rarity so it's unlikely that most of use will ever see them.
Thanks very much for posting!

An unusual phenomenon up there in the sky, which you have recorded so very beautifully, Loot.
Your note on the formation of this type of cloud is extensive and very useful for many a layman like me.
The bird soaring up there between the two different cloud formations adds life to this beautiful picture of the ever-changing firmament which the poem you have quoted in your note describes so very touchingly from a child's fantasy point of view.
Thanks and take care.
Ram

  • Great 
  • Fisher Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1540 W: 309 N: 2234] (8915)
  • [2006-12-19 18:36]

Hi Loot,

Beautiful capture, the tones are all well exposed, excellent range. Well done on the composition.

Mike

Hi Loot,
Amazingly beautiful! What I like the most is that the bird you captured in the frame gives it such a great sense of scale. The clarity of the air is something special. It reminds me of the days of my youth laying on my back watching the clouds drifiting by and finding the shapes of the animals in them. As usual, your notes are superb!
Scott

  • Great 
  • pilonm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 542 W: 99 N: 813] (2647)
  • [2006-12-20 10:10]

Hello Loot,

Wondeful picture of this lovely sky with this very nice lenticular wave clouds! I like also the bird bringing life to the nice picture. The clouds are very special... Are they stairs to go to heaven? Great picture and TFS,

Michel

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1654 W: 79 N: 1456] (4742)
  • [2006-12-24 7:35]
  • [+]

This is a beautiful picture Loot. The clouds are grand and the see-through spot through which we can see the flying bird is lovely. Well exposed and perfect composition. You've got a dustspot in the left lower corner. TFS!

Happy holidays!

Regards,
Pieter

Hi Loot,
that's wonderful - so fantastic clouds and this blue blue sky, I love it.
I wish you wonderful Christmas-days, all the best, take care
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • CTP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 774 W: 6 N: 1107] (3183)
  • [2006-12-24 22:49]

Hi Loot,
Awesome Sky photo with giant clouds and a flying bird.
I like your colors,pov,dof,focus,sharpness,note and composition.TFS
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Chris

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1468 W: 18 N: 2961] (10860)
  • [2006-12-25 12:25]

Hi Loot

Stange looking sky, lovely colours and textures. Interesting note for someone like me who is ignorant of cloud formations

Merry Christmas

Karan

Lovely piece of sky Loot. Great contrast/color. I think the lenticular look awesome framed in the juicy cumulus clouds..and the soaring bird adds that bit of magic that pulls it all together :)
Very well done!

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2007-01-09 4:23]

Hello Loot,
Wonderful and unusual capture.I liked POV,framing,DOF,composition and visual impact a lot.Have a great day!
TFS..:-)

two amazing sobject

tfs mario

Hi Loot,
An unusual view, but very interesting and nice! I like how it see the line clouds behind the window formed by nearest clouds and as gift the bird flying high in the sky.
well done my friend
hernán

Dear Loot,
You have captured awesome lenticular wave clouds with very unusal heavenly staircase formation within as seen through a cumulus window. Regarding a solitary bird soaring at this altitude, I would like to add few lines on thermals which are updrafts of warm air that rise from the ground into the sky. By flying a spiraling circular path within these columns of rising air, birds are able to "ride" the air currents and climb to higher altitudes while expending very little energy in the process. Solitary birds like eagles, vultures and hawks often take advantage of thermals to extend their flight time as they search for food. Refer Thermals. TFS.
Best wishes: Subhash

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