Good Clouds

As a landscape astrophotographer, I have a very ambivalent relationship with clouds. When I am out shooting, I basically want clear skies. Clouds are considered a nuisance.

 

On the other hand, it is undeniable that clouds can add a lot of mood to a scene, if they are in the right position.

 

That's a big if though. It seems that most clouds have a tendency to block the Milky Way, while leaving the uninteresting parts of the sky clear. I call them the bad clouds.

 

While shooting with @benjaminbarakat at this tranquil lake in the Swiss Alps, the lenticular clouds were however mostly hugging the the horizon, blocking the worst of the light pollution and nicely framing the Milky Way. Even the small cloud in front of the galactic core carefully positioned itself so as not to block any important part. Those were definitely good clouds.

 

EXIF

Canon EOS Ra

Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 @ 15mm

iOptron SkyTracker Pro

Sky:

Stack of 5 x 90s @ ISO1600

Foreground:

Stack of 5 x 60s @ ISO6400

Reflection:

Single exposure from the foreground stack

Done