Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Sky photo challenge: being put in my place

Ripples of Kindness has posted a challenge:

"Not unlike humans, the sky is often referred to as "angry, dark, blue, cloudy, happy, clear, etc.
If you have a photo showing the sky personified, please post your link. I’d be interested in seeing what emotion you caught with your camera when you looked up at the sky."


I took this photo on Matinicus Rock, about 20 miles off the Downeast Maine coast. I was out there on this tiny island - mainly inhabited by terns, puffins and razorbills - as a volunteer for the National Audubon Society's Seabird Restoration Project, otherwise known as Project Puffin. It was my third summer doing a two-week stint observing puffins, banding them, and trying to dodge angry tern parents while moving about the island. I had witnessed lots of interesting weather phenomenons over the three summers I spent there, including the Northern Lights. However, this photo captured the coolest phenomenon I saw.

A front moved through from the west and this line of clouds in the picture came over us, according to our weather instruments, at about 70 miles an hour. It was so low to the ground I swear if I had climbed to the top of the lighthouse I would have been able to touch it. The emotion I experienced was one of being put in my place by Mother Nature. "Don't be complacent" she was telling me, "never take a peaceful sky for granted."

8 comments:

  1. A very impressive cloud, I love watching the weather over water. Mother Nature does have a way of putting us in our place when we take the peaceful skies for granted, especially near the ocean.
    Beautiful photo.

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  2. Oooo! I took a picture once of a really scary cloud, but this one comes close. I see what looks like a Hoover vacuum coming out of the sky. Great picture! Just slightly jealous.

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  3. I think the sky looks different in different parts of the world. The different look of it makes you feel different too. You know what I mean?

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  4. The cloud transformed into a vacuum cleaner preparing to suck up water from the ocean then pour it hard on the lowlands...scary.

    Nice sky photo!

    AL

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  5. Very interesting picture. It does look like you could have reached up to touch it.

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  6. What a cool idea. I will be looking up for sure now and taking photos. Thanks.

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  7. SQ: the sky near the ocean always amazes me, I should start a blog full of sea-sky photos!

    DJan: it was a scary cloud, but peaceful too, does that make sense?

    RT: the sky IS totally different in different parts of the world, I completely agree!

    AL: I hope clouds like the one you describe don't occur where you live, that would be scary indeed!

    Rae: it really did seem like you could touch it, I bet it was about 100 feet off the ground.

    Squirrel: welcome to the Holdfast Seeker! I hope you do take more photos and put them up for us all to see :)

    thanks for visiting everyone!

    -kate

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  8. OMG Kate! What an amzing shot!
    In my mind's eye, I see a finger pointing and can almost hear Mother Nature saying, "Don't be foolin' around with me." :))
    Extraordinary capture!
    Thanks so much for participating!

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