clouds

23 of the Best Storm Photos of 2022

Well-known storm photographer Mike Olbinski created the annual Storm Photos of the Year contest as a way to help the public recognize the dedication of both professional and amateur storm photographers.

Heavenly Photographs of Dubai Skyscrapers Poking Through a Sea of Clouds

The city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is known for its impressive skyline, which features the world's tallest building. Every so often, the city will become blanketed with a thick layer of fog that opens the door to beautiful photos of skyscrapers rising above clouds.

Daniel Cheong is one photographer who's always on the lookout for this particular photo opportunity. Over the years, he has built up an impressive collection of shots showing skyscrapers poking through Dubai fog.

Storm Chaser Captures Mesmerizing Time-Lapse of Clouds Rolling Like Ocean Waves

"Undulatus asperatus" is a cloud formation proposed in 2009 that roughly translates to "roughened or agitated waves." These dark and stormy clouds travel across the sky in ominous waves, but generally dissipate without an a storm forming.

Storm chaser Alex Schueth was recently in the right place at the right time with his DSLR, and managed to capture one of these formations in the mesmerizing time-lapse video seen above.

ISS Astronaut Captures the Thousand-Mile Shadows Clouds Cast on Earth’s Surface

Hovering somwhere between 205 and 255 miles above Earth is the International Space Station, currently housing six intrepid explorers that are hurtling through space at roughly 4.8 miles per second.

And one of those individuals is Alexander Gerst, a geophysicist who spends a great deal of his time on the ISS holding a camera and putting it to use taking pictures of our planet.

Berndnaut Smilde Discusses His Ethereal Photos of Indoor Clouds

Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde's photos of clouds hanging mysteriously in indoor locations have earned him a good bit of popularity. Created by using a smoke machine, precise atmospheric conditions and dramatic lighting, his Nimbus photos juxtapose the indoor and outdoor worlds.

In the short documentary video above, Smilde sat down with Avant/Garde Diaries and discussed his work, lending us some perspective on why he creates these photos and where he finds inspiration.

Epic Photos of Supercell Storm Clouds Over the American Midwest

Photographer Camille Seaman is well-known for her images of icebergs, but recently she turned her attention to another state of water: supercell storm clouds. She has been partnering with storm chasers and shooting amazing images of violent weather passing through the American Midwest. The series is titled The Big Cloud.

Ethereal Photos of Indoor Clouds

Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde creates indoor clouds using a smoke machine and uses dramatic lighting to make them look realistic. He calls the project Nimbus.

Cars in Clouds: Photos of Burnouts

At first glance, some of Simon Davidson's photographs look like Harry Potter stills showing flying cars floating in the clouds. They're actually a glimpse into the burnout subculture that's growing in Australia. These are competitions in which drivers try to create as much smoke as they can by spinning their tires in place.

Diptychs of Clouds and Cloud Watchers

Before We Begin is a project by photographer Christopher Jonassen (whose frying pan photos we featured here) that consists of diptychs showing clouds and cloud watchers. The images capture peaceful "moments of reflection between thought and action."

Fine Art Photos of Tornado Alley Storms

Fine art photographer Mitch Dobrowner wanted to photograph storm systems, so he partnered up with Roger Hill -- regarded as one of the top storm-chasers in the world -- and was introduced to Tornado Alley. Dobrowner writes,

Words are inadequate to describe the experience of photographing this immense power and beauty. And the most exciting part is with each trip I really don’t know what to expect. But now I see these storms as living, breathing things. They are born when the conditions are right, they gain strength as they grow, they fight against their environment to stay alive, they change form as they age… and eventually they die. They take on so many different aspects, personalities and faces; I'm in awe watching them. These storms are amazing sights to witness.... and I’m just happy to be there—shot or no shot; it's watching Mother Nature at her finest. My only hope my images can do justice to these amazing phenomenona of nature.

His images certainly do them justice -- the stormy landscape photographs Dobrowner has made through these trips are jaw-dropping.

Clouds Photographed Through an Open Plane Door 4 Miles Up

For his project "Cloud Collection", photographer Rüdiger Nehmzow went about four miles off the ground and photographed clouds through the open door of the plane. With no glass between Nehmzow and the sky to muddy up the shots, the resulting photographs are absolutely stunning.