By Ingrid Makowski.
Storm Front at Phillip Island
By Ingrid Makowski
Second winner Image Review 15
Nikon D500; 18-140mm lens @ 18mm; ISO 400; f/11; 1/160s
Thunderstorms had been predicted for the afternoon, but it was a surprise to see this one roll in so quickly and with such ‘angry’ and ominous clouds! My husband and I ran out to the edge of the ridge and watched the massive cloud bank gradually engulf the sky and the changing light of the late afternoon. The wind had picked up and not long after this photograph was taken it was time to head for shelter before the skies released sheets of rain!
Don’s response
You obviously couldn’t plan a picture like this one. But while being in the right spot at the right time is plainly a matter of good fortune, it takes a skilled photographer to make the most of the opportunity presented.
Where casual picture-takers would likely fill the frame with those dramatic clouds, an experienced photographer like Ingrid Makowski understands the importance of context and of anchoring the wild skies to the landscape.
Giving over the bottom third of her composition to the cliffs, the sea and the tiny figures walking along the beach, she establishes a sense of scale and a feeling of an extraordinary event unfolding as we watch.
