After a storm passes and the rain stops, I almost always head out to photograph clouds. Shooting black and white film with an orange or red filter on the camera produces dark skies and white clouds—an effect I like. In composing, I make the sky two-thirds or more of the picture because, to me, the clouds are the subject.
These photos were all taken with my medium-format camera on Ilford FP4+ black-and-white film.
This was taken in the late afternoon on the nearby campus of St. Mary’s College.
The clouds aren’t the subject here—the statue of De La Salle is—but they add interest to the background.
Clouds over Mt. Diablo. Taken from the Rim Trail above the Lafayette Reservoir.
Many times I’ve taken this shot of the winding trail leading up to the little tree with dramatic clouds in the background. I waited for the hiker and dog to walk into the frame.
One more of Mt. Diablo and clouds, this one from a hill in Moraga.
I never tire of shooting landscapes with masses of cumulus clouds, partly because the effect the filters create makes the clouds seem almost like solid objects.
