We had a thunderstorm here the other evening that was preceded by very hot and humid weather. The really interesting thing from the storm was the lighting; everything was awash in an almost tactile sepia tone; the lighting and humidity was like the world had been immersed in colored water. I stood outside for a bit and took some photos. The lighting was pretty amazing but only lasted a few minutes. Once over, the air cooled considerably and the blanketing humidity left.
I’m pretty amazed to have captured that picture exactly as I witnessed it. I took it with a Kodak EasyShare V1003 set on automatic. The reason I’m amazed is that other pictures I took where the sky wasn’t a major subject of the photo look just dark, but otherwise normal, making me think the camera software adjusted out the coloring.
I’ve experienced that kind of lighting before after a storm and feel happy that this time I got a photo of the lighting.
Here’s an example of another pic. The difference between this and the other shot was that I aimed the camera at the road vs at the sky. As can be seen the lighting effect is totally gone from the photo.
It’s pretty interesting the difference a digital camera can make in what you’re capturing, vs what film would capture.
I have two more pics; one that again was focused on the sky and showed the coloring and another focused on my walkway hoping to catch the deep sepia shadows. The walkway photo looks dark while the other photo again shows that incredible coloring washing over a house.
I’m kinda wishing for a resurgence in film after this experience.
We had something similar after a REALLY stormy night in June when we had several tornadoes spotted around the area. I took a bunch of pictures of it, but this one is my favorite. Unfortunately, my DSLR was in the shop at the time, so I only had my P&S on-hand.
I call it tornado weather. It’s almost like a yellow fog. I’ve seen it a few times in my life, usually accompanied by green lightning, and every time, a tornado has touched down nearby. This may be entirely coincidental.
This is always while a hurricane or tropical storm is coming ashore nearby.
ETA: I said green lightning, but on further thought and after consulting with my dad, it can be other colors, such as yellow or red. It’s those entire sky flashes behind the clouds…not really a visible lightning bolt. I can also associate it with a major drop in atmospheric pressure, but like I said, every time I’ve seen it, there’s been a tropical system at the coast and tornados nearby.
