Clouds as a photographic subject

Clouds. No, not that cloud. I’ve always been fascinated by them and the weather. Although, they didn’t use to be one of the subjects that first came to mind when I thought about photography.

Now, I keep an eye out my window for interesting ones. Yet, many of the images I take of the sky never make it off my phone but I’m still compelled to capture them.

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The skies tell stories

Remember as kids looking at the clouds and finding shapes, animals and who knows what else our imaginations allowed us to see? I think we should still take time to do those things. Not just taking the time to watch the clouds but also using our imaginations more. We look to the sky to check the weather and different types of clouds can mean different types of weather. I bet many landscape photographers keep a close eye on the skies and can tell if it will be a good sunrise or sunset sky just by paying attention to the clouds.

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So many times I hear photographers say they can’t find or don’t have anything to photograph. How about stepping out the door and looking up? Personally, my desk faces two windows and I’m constantly staring out and up at the sky to see what’s happening. What color is it, what movement is there? Is it bright blue and white puffy clouds, or gray and misty types? No matter what it is I can generally find interesting shapes up there.

Clouds as art

Why not hang some of the outdoors in? We do it with landscapes, sunrises and sunsets all the time. Let’s put some of the skies in our living spaces.

I might even have to frame this one for my own home.

Get creative with your post-processing. They are unique and interesting clouds, to begin with, but I think that by converting these to black and white they become a bit more dramatic and artistic.

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Have you used clouds as your main subject in your images? Do you have your own sky photos to share? Share them here in the Photofocus Community, we’d love to see them.