No, not my mood, although it's not that far off the mark given what's going on in the UK right now. It's just that I find taking pictures with Hawaiian lava rock so frustrating because it is as black as you can get and am convinced it sucks light from the environment. One nice thing about trying to take pictures of it is that you need a long exposure and it makes the water look so cool!Anyway, after a sleepless night the other day I took a stroll around Coconut Island in Hilo and took this shot. It wasn't meant to be dark and moody but it's how it turned out I think!
Talking about omens (oh, was I?), just as I started typing this post there was a flash of lightning outside quickly followed by a long and quite loud roll of thunder. My mood went from just being normal to one of anxiety. Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time might remember that I used to love thunderstorms but after my house was struck several times I'm no longer a fan of them. I really feel I should put on some spooky music waiting for the UK government's CSR announcement and sit in the middle of my house waiting for that violent lightning bolt again!
It's actually very early in the season for thunder here - let's hope it isn't really an omen!
And there's another flash of lightning just outside my window. The cats are under the bed and I wish I could fit under there as well! Anyway, I'm off.
6 comments:
Beautiful photo, Tom. Hopefully your storm will pass quickly and without causing damage.
I used to love thunderstorms too until I moved to the MidWest - they are very mean-spirited out here. And my house has not been struck, but I was nicked by a side flash back in my twenties. Hope you weathered the storm okay!
That dark black lava with bright highlights in the clouds is a perfect opportunity for HDR photography to shine. It would give you that "dynamic range" you are looking for, be able to pull back out that light that Pele took in while not blowing out your sky.
Hilary - no damage other than to my nerves! I used to love storms and now I get very anxious when I see lightning. It's not a fun thing to know that something has actually happened to your brain/mind that makes you act quite differently than before. It's almost a phobia now.
I still love lightning shows though, I just watch them from indoors!
Boo - made it through the storm - it actually dissipated very quickly after midnight. Having your house struck by lightning is very scary - no warning and then BANG! About 4 or 5 years ago we had a storm where it rained like hell and my lanai (deck) was flooding. We'd lost power so it was dark, and to see how bad the flooding was I opened the screen door slightly and had a look outside with a flashlight. My other hand was reasting on the screendoor to keep my balance and the next thing I knew was a big flash right in front of me and then my hand being thrown off the door and then the rest of my body following it. My hand tingled for hours afterwards. The lightning bolt had struck a small tree about 10 yards from me and the current went through the water and into the screen. If I'd been standing in the lanai itself I think I would have been killed.
I've quite a few more lightning stories to tell as well! There is something peculiar about my house or where I live that seems to attract lightning.
Anon (Kona Dave?) - I actually did take a few bracketed exposures of this scene and do have an HDR image - just not sure I like it!
One thing I've found trying HDR with water and low light is that HDR can really get screwed with moving water. Given the long exposures required fast moving clouds are also a problem. It's pretty much hit-and-miss although I might post an HDR version of the scene later tonight since you brought the subject up!
Tom
Oh, I love this! What an other-worldly sight! There's even a monster with glowing, red eyes off to the right! Are you sure this is Hawaii? ;-)
Keera - hadn't noticed the monster, but now you point it out...
Tom
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