This week, the El Nino weather system has really hit Southern California. While most people were heading for cover, I knew that there would be small openings of really dramatic weather.
Heading home from the office, I knew I had hit the jackpot. I was armed with my backup camera body due to my recent camera accident, and I was using my Nikon 20mm 1.8 lens on a crop sensor, so it really was about a 30mm equivalent on a full-frame system.
Lightroom’s recent addition of the panoramic export is excellent, and with less than ideal equipment, this was a great opportunity to use it!
The resulting image was a 28 image panorama that Lightroom had no issue stitching together. As you can see, the last light as the huge, high, clouds towered over Santee Lakes was amazing. The yellows on the high clouds got deeper and deeper just after sunset, before the light vanished all at once! Those are the brief moments that build memories. As always, it is great to own your own backyard, and have a good, quick, place to go when you are at home and the light sets up perfectly.
This view is from the Mast Blvd bridge look North over Santee Lakes 2 and 3. The clouds to the South of the bridge were dark and gloomy, which could have been a different but interesting image. I wanted to chase the light though, and the opening to the North was too much to pass up.
It still amazes me how much people miss the connection between so-called bad weather and the resulting images. Be safe, but get out there and brave the elements! your portfolio will thank you.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the image!
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.
