Clouds, Part 3: Awe
Clouds can be awesome. But not all clouds are awesome. Cloud observers aren’t likely to agree unanimously about exactly which clouds are awesome and which aren’t; it isn’t a classification governed by scientific criteria. Viewers’ awe thresholds may differ depending on experience and training (such as, possibly, in meteorology or fine art). Possibly a jaded storm-chaser would not find a Category 3 tornado awesome; perhaps a disciple of 19th century painter Albert Bierstadt, famous for passionately dramatic American landscapes, would have a more demanding definition of “awesome.” But for most of us, speaking simplistically, some clouds are awesome and some aren't, even if we don’t unanimously agree about which are and which aren’t. There is no Court of Clouds, so no standard of legal proof (whether beyond a reasonable doubt, by clear and convincing evidence, or more-probable-than-not) controls. And it shouldn’t take a super-majority to make a cloud awesome. But, once the issue arises, if it's a close call whether a particular cloud is awesome, does that imply that it can’t really be awesome?
Ultimately the classification can’t be satisfied by an objective standard. And ultimately it must come down to an “I know it when I see it” subjective standard, since awesomeness is finally just in the eye of the beholder.
That said, what qualities might make a cloud seem awesome in a beholder’s eyes? Maybe a sense of great depth and volume. Maybe a sense of intense physicality, such as turbulence or violence. Maybe magnitude, especially in contrast with non-clouds (sky, terrain, water, and the beholder himself/herself). Maybe vibrant color. Maybe dramatic shapes. Maybe context (as in most things).
The images below try to explore and illustrate some of these issues and qualities. This is not an exhaustive catalogue (no tornados or hurricanes, for example). These are simply some idiosyncratic pictures of clouds that fortuitously appeared and allowed me to photograph them.
So, great depth and volume:
EF4A0157
EF4A4230
EF4A0208-Pano
EF4A1747
EF4A1770
IMG_1079
IMG_1123
EF4A6212
Turbulence or violence:
EF4A9864
untitled-0219
Sheer magnitude:
131A8602
K03C6655
EF4A5254
Vibrant color:
K03C0421
EF4A0072
AAA008
EF4A0168
Shapes:
EF4A6227
Context, maybe:
0M0A0723
131A7383
A92I9965
untitled-_M0A1458-Enhanced-NR-2
Comments
After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.