On another occasion there would have been a stunning view of Cadair Idris and the other Welsh mountains in this southern part of the Snowdonia National Park, but this time the cloud base was extremely low. However, the famous Grade II*-listed railway viaduct across the Afon Mawddach stood out in stark contrast.

The bridge was originally constructed in 1867 and was designed by Benjamin Piercy, engineer to the Cambrian Railways. The single-track railway viaduct (751 yards long) has 113 groups of timber supports (pile bents) and a 5-span steel section incorporating a swing bridge (built in 1899) towards the Barmouth end. A lower boarded pedestrian walkway, which I remember walking across as a child, was added in 1868-79.

This was our second visit to the Coastguard cottages at Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex. We had been planning the trip for several days and had calculated that the sun would rise in an optimum position above the Seven Sisters. The weather forecast was favourable! We put the alarm on for 3:30am to leave us plenty of time to navigate the 65 miles, plus the hike down to our planned shooting location on the beach.

As we sat there on the beach looking at a huge bank of cloud and fog, it became obvious our efforts had been in vain and the enthusiasm drained from our bodies. The Seven Sisters were barely visible and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Battleship grey was the only game in town.

We started our laborious trudge back up to the car stopping frequently for oxygen intake and it was on one of these stops that we turned around and this is what we saw.

Crepuscular rays were beaming from the sun which had finally broken through the cloud base. Not only that, but while we desperately fumbled to assemble our kit, a hot air balloon wafted right over the Seven Sisters! All was not lost and we both got a couple of decent snaps from the trip.

Thanks as always for your interest and support.

This was an October evening back in 2014. Large chunks of rock (much of it originally from Norway) have been placed here at different times to protect the eroding shoreline. From time to time it has been moved and added to, the most aesthetically pleasing being Bardon Breccia rock. Nowadays new rock armour comes from closer to home in Leicestershire.

During excavations here footprints have been discovered in layers of buried clay and rock that are believed to be the earliest found outside of Africa. Also axes have been found, believed to indicate the earliest human occupation of Northern Europe.

Sadly, these defences are over-worked and the coastline continues to be eroded.

This photograph is a stitch of 6 'portrait' images taken with a Canon TS-E 24mm tilt shift lens, locked off on a tripod - 3 long exposure images for the sea and 3 normally exposed images for the impressive sky and cloud formation as the sun lowered behind me, illuminating the cloud base in a spectacular fashion.

Thank you for taking the time to view and comment on some of my images.

Actually, my veggie garden... I let the flowers creep into this strip.. Portland, Dorset - August 2016

One of the most important lessons to learn about landscape photography is that when shooting a sunset do not pack up when the sun passes behind the horizon. The light level may have dropped dramatically and the colour cools like the onset of winter but there are still wonderful shots to be had using the soft cool tones of the Blue Hour.

There is always the possibility that the weather conditions across the horizon will allow for the sun to shine under the cloud base and set a fire to the sky. If you are patient then there are rewards to be had from the gently glowing embers of cirrus catching subtle tones of amber all the way to the spectacular inferno that is stratocumulus glowing scarlet from horizon to horizon. Either way it’s got to be one of nature’s best lightshows and well worth waiting that little while longer for the second act of the evening’s performance.

Interesting seeing the cloud base nearly on the ground as it sweeps through the trees

An AI and cloud based image. AI satellite and stars with a couple of my own cloud and moon photos. I heard today that the Russian Far Side of the Moon project was unsuccessful with the Luna 25 crashing. HMMM

www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russias-moon-m...

Allt an Fhamhair, Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye.

This was the day of my abortive trip to the Fairy Pools in Coire na Creiche .. when (a) the stepping stones over the first burn were submerged and (b) cloud base was about 3' 6". So, I had to make do with the waterfalls beside the path.

This was taken with the NDx64 filter to get the long exposure.

www.karlwilliamsphotography.co.uk

See here for more images of Skye

On the slopes of Knockanaffrin mountain, just below the cloud-base during a lull in the rain, a lone sceac watches over the decaying ferns of winter's shortest day. As I like to remind people occasionally when warranted, I haven't adjusted colour saturation.

May 14, 2025 - Maxwell Nebraska

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Just to the east of North Platte Nebraska. Maxwell Nebraska...

A landspout touches down over a rural landscape under a dramatic sky, where the swirling column of wind is starkly visible against intense cloud formations. The foreground features a few trees and farmland, emphasizing the stark contrast between human activity and natural phenomena.

We were not set up & riding parallel with this storm.. so only a few shots eh...

For folks that don't know the difference between a tornado & a landspout... Please Read Below!

*****

What is the Difference between a Landspout & a Tornado?

A landspout and a tornado are both rotating columns of air that can cause damage, but they differ in their formation, structure, and characteristics:

Formation:

Landspout: A landspout is a type of non-supercell tornado that forms from a growing thunderstorm or cumulus cloud without a mesocyclone (a rotating updraft within a supercell). It typically develops from the ground upward when converging surface winds create a vortex that is stretched by an updraft in a developing storm.

Tornado: A tornado usually forms from a supercell thunderstorm with a mesocyclone. It descends from the cloud base downward as the mesocyclone tightens and intensifies due to strong atmospheric dynamics, such as wind shear.

Structure and Appearance:

Landspout: Landspouts are often narrower, more rope-like, and less organized than tornadoes. They typically appear as a slender, tube-like vortex extending from the cloud base to the ground, sometimes resembling a waterspout over land.

Tornado: Tornadoes are generally wider, more robust, and can take various shapes (e.g., wedge, cone, or rope). They are often associated with a visible funnel cloud and a debris cloud at the surface due to stronger winds.

Intensity and Duration:

Landspout: Landspouts are usually weaker (EF0–EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale) and shorter-lived, lasting a few minutes. They cause localized, less severe damage compared to tornadoes.

Tornado: Tornadoes can range from weak (EF0–EF1) to extremely violent (EF4–EF5), with some lasting over an hour. They can cause widespread, catastrophic damage due to higher wind speeds.

Associated Weather:

Landspout: Occurs in less severe weather, often under developing thunderstorms or cumulus clouds with minimal wind shear. They are not typically associated with large-scale storm systems.

Tornado: Often occurs in severe thunderstorms, especially supercells, with strong wind shear and dynamic atmospheric conditions conducive to powerful, long-lived storms.

Detection:

Landspout: Landspouts are harder to detect on radar because they lack a mesocyclone and may not produce a distinct radar signature.

Tornado: Tornadoes from supercells often show a mesocyclone signature on Doppler radar, aiding in their detection and warning issuance.

In summary, while both are rotating columns of air that contact the ground, landspouts are weaker, shorter-lived, and form without a mesocyclone under less severe conditions, whereas tornadoes are typically stronger, longer-lasting, and associated with supercell thunderstorms and mesocyclones.

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Copyright 2025

Dale Kaminski @ NebraskaSC Photography

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My attempt at summer photography has personally been a hard challenge as its one of the seasons tbh I just avoid. But I have given it a go on three trips through the months July and August and I must admit I miss my misty grey days. However it was a challenge and one I took on and at times did enjoy as I always use any trip as a scouting trip for future compositions.

I was more comfortable with the evening trips as the light at sunset was just amazing and was a real pleasant way to end the day. The chance of of fog or heavy dew is more common mornings but I had no luck there.

My composition here was one of my favourites on an evening trip, the light was just about seeping through a low cloud base and was just twinging the tree tops at the woodland in front of me.

As soon as it appeared though it disappeared just like my foggy mornings so the shot was hand held but all worked out well.

Again one of my favourite trees the birch providing some colour and contrast with the trees on the right.

Really looking forward to taken this one again in Autumn and not having to bother about the thousand midges which have turned my arms into the elephant man.

I have a few images still to post from the summer season, still need to PP them first. But for me I am saying goodbye summer days, bring on the rain, the fog and that atmosphere where I excel.

Stitched panoramic shot of the volcanic landscapes around Mount Teide in Tenerife. The 'sea of cloud' at right is the upper surface of the cloud-base, some several thousand feet below the altitude at which these photos were taken. The summit (actually a volcanic crater) of Mount Teide is 12,188 ft (3,715 m) above sea level and this pano is from around 8,000 ft. There was quite a bit of Saharan dust in the air when this was taken and I had made a tactical error in forgetting to pack my circular polariser for the trip to Tenerife, so a graduated filter in Capture One Pro post-processing had to do the necessary. Stitched from 2 frames using the 'panini' stitching algorithm in Capture One.

After a cold front passed, winds were gusting to 45mph. Obvious turbulence is noted by this chaotic cloud base. Taken at 11AM.

I was drawn to this hillside as dark storm clouds began building on the horizon, sensing that something spectacular was about to unfold. The air had that electric quality that precedes a thunderstorm, and I could see the rain curtains already falling in the distance.

What captivated me was this incredible battle between light and darkness - while the storm dominated most of the sky with its imposing cumulonimbus formations, the setting sun managed to break through beneath the cloud base, casting this golden glow across the distant hills. It was one of those fleeting moments where nature displays its full dramatic range.

I positioned myself to capture the layered composition of this rural landscape - the golden grasslands in the foreground, the dense forest canopy, and those illuminated hills that seemed to glow against the storm's dark backdrop. The contrast between the peaceful pastoral setting and the approaching tempest created this sense of anticipation and drama.

My intention was to freeze this ephemeral moment when two opposing forces of nature - the storm's power and the sun's persistence - coexist in perfect tension. These are the moments that remind us of nature's incredible ability to create scenes more dramatic than any artist could imagine.

A brief moment of cloud-based interference offered me this wider view of Northwestern Station's yard throat. With the sun on full display, the shadows were blocking this view of the throat, but I decided to take advantage of the moment while P59PHi no. 74 pulls an outbound out of the station.

As this strong thunderstorm approached, the ragged cloud base is referred to as the "whale's mouth" formation*. The sun breaking through the overcast lit the foreground landscape and created an unreal scene.

Time lapse of this event is worth viewing www.flickr.com/photos/cloud_spirit/54609054124:

* The "whale's mouth" formation in severe thunderstorms refers to a visual phenomenon where the underside of a cumulonimbus cloud, typically associated with thunderstorms, resembles the open mouth of a whale. This is often linked to specific storm structures, such as:

Rear-Flank Downdraft (RFD) or Forward-Flank Downdraft (FFD): The "whale's mouth" appearance is caused by a clear slot or wedge of dry, sinking air that wraps around the storm's mesocyclone or updraft area. This creates a dramatic, curved, and sometimes striated cloud feature that looks like a gaping mouth.

Shelf Cloud or Arcus Cloud: In some cases, the leading edge of a thunderstorm's outflow boundary forms a low, horizontal, wedge-shaped cloud that can resemble a whale's mouth, especially when illuminated by lightning or sunlight.

Visual Characteristics: The formation often appears as a sharp, well-defined edge with a turbulent, rolling look, sometimes with mammatus clouds (pouch-like structures) hanging from the underside, enhancing the resemblance.

This feature is most commonly seen in supercell thunderstorms or intense squall lines, where strong wind shear and dynamic processes sculpt the cloud structure. It’s a striking visual cue for storm chasers and meteorologists, often indicating a powerful storm with potential for severe weather like tornadoes, hail, or damaging winds.

It's been a busy week and I took a wee walk over to Ardbain in the early evening. The cloud base was at about 300m and stuck there all day but there was a tiny break just before the sun set. I met this couple from New Zealand (Eric) and the Basque Country (Leira) and left them there hoping for a good sunset.

I only had the 'big' lens with me so no context I'm afraid!

Thanks Explore (#50). Best position (#137).

At sunset, the sun illuminates the cloud base to enhance cloud structure.

Picture of the Day x 3

This photo was from my archives and uploaded OK, But after a computer glitch which required removal of ALL non micorsoft files and reloading them back on the computer, I have not been able to upload any of about 400 photos taken during the interim.

Flickr is cloud based and I did not have to reload as far as I know. I came online fine.

I downloaded Nikon VXNi and that's when I found the problem. I had not used this program reported to be 'nondestructive'.

I contacted NIKON and requested my former camera photo transfer program, VNX2, and tried to upload after processing with that program.

Still will not work. I did upload this photo from my archives.

I loaded the last attempt directly from the card without going through the D810 camera. Still not working.

I mostly shoot RAW [NEF}

Still won't work.

Getting advice from flickr is not available. I have to rely on someone's knowledge base that may have had a similar issue.

Any opinions?

Thanks Explore (#113). Position (#99)

After reaching 81F, a strong cold front moved through late afternoon. The clouds responded with lots of turbulence and chaotic structure. The pattern was further enhanced as precipitation fell from the cloud base and instantly evaporated into 15% relative humidity.

Taken with iPhone 11 Pro Max

Picture of the Day x 10

Taken from the slopes of Blaven, Isle of Skye. Fantastic day's climbing, though the views from the very summit were obscured a bit as I was just at cloud base level... just need to do it again next year! Garbh Bheinn means "rough mountain" and is in the left middle distance in this shot - easy to see how it got its name,

Backlit shrubs and pines overlooking a 'cloud sea' on the slopes of Mount Teide, Tenerife. The cloud-base was several thousand feet below this altitude, so this is a view of the cloud tops. The warm colour temperature wasn't as much from the sun, but from a lot of dust that had blown up on a warm wind (a 'Calima') from the Sahara dessert in Africa to the east of of the Canary Islands.

"In a state of extreme, euphoric happiness" Who wouldn't be if they stopped to soak in this view over the Eden Valley? Blencathra at 2,848ft is touching the cloud base!

Wandered out with the camera on a dull murky damp day. Hoping that some heavy rain would appear and pulled the cloud base down. It never did and ended up qutie a warm sunny day. Anyway, earlier, i'd spotted this ladybird in a grass stem. Even had some water droplets on it. Was fairly breezy too, so held the stem with one hand and camera with other! surprised one came out sharp enough!

Digital collage, painting and processing

With thanks to Richard Young for permission to use figure of the dancer

www.ryoung-art.com/Poise%20in%20Silhouette%20oil%20painti...

With thanks to MicRitz for permission to use the sky/clouds base photo

www.flickr.com/photos/mic-pics/

BARBARA STREISAND - SOME ENCHANTED EVENING

m.youtube.com/watch?v=cmSraYWvlgg

Pure drama in the skies over Croome in Worcestershire! The low ridge that runs the length of the park is just high enough to get you that much closer to the cloud base as the weather blows across the Severn valley. The evening light picks out the thicker and thinner parts of the uneven cloud layer to give the colour range from battleship grey and dark blue through to light pink.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by, it was a complete surprise when this got Explored! If anyone has any idea how Explore works, please let me know.

We never get tired of this view, and Max always reminds me to pull over into this spot before we go home. Or even if we are on the way to somewhere else! But this time it was done with intention because the weather was starting to lift, providing a chance to take some shots. There is something about this view that fires my imagination because you never quite know what might happen. The weather might have been really awful all day but then quickly lift, giving you some sublime, uplifting sunsets. Other times the low cloud base creates an atmosphere that just lulls you into deep introspection.

These changes of mood were the inspiration for The Sacred Isle Series, and I wanted to try and express how this wonderful landscape made me feel; at times as if I were floating in eternity, at other times deeply grounded in reality. But never did I lose sight of being connected to a wider, bigger story, one that keeps unfolding and never stops.

This view is overlooking the Sussex landscape towards Firle Beacon, on the South Downs of England. And Max is my VW Polo, who has got used to my constant need to photograph our home and landscape.

We thought you might like to see the landscape in ‘real-time’, before I transformed the results into works that reflect what my mind envisioned that day and what it was the landscape was trying to tell me.

So the following works after this post are from The Sacred Isles Series, and I hope you enjoy them and as I gradually add more works that are completed.

To view the Sacred Isle Series on my website, especially as more works go up, follow this link. There the works will appear as a designed piece with the poetry, and in the order I want them to be read.

www.shelleyturnerpoetpix.com/sacred-isle-series

United States Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle flown by crew of 492d Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, banks a hard left while training under a low cloud-base in Mid Wales.

Happy Thanksgiving! 🇺🇸

© Ben Stacey All Rights Reserved - Any use, reproduction or distribution of this image without my explicit permission is strictly prohibited.

April 6, 2021 - North of Lebanon Kansas US

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We had packed up and parted ways that evening. It would be about another 2 hours before the storm to the south would be in the area we chose for that afternoon. We were not set up for night chasing that day and so we called it a night.

These storms were dying on the way north as we tagged along side. Nice rays with cloud-base to end this day's chase!

#ForeverChasing

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Was looking for the setting sun to show its fanfare under that cloud base on the right and it sort of obliged but also the moody clouds had something to say about it whilst the wind turbines were waving good-bye to the sun as they do all the while the workers were abandoning the city for their home fires...

A very speedy trip to Corndon Tor the other morning was definitely worth it. I woke early and looked out and saw a clear sky to the east and heavy rain clouds approaching. I tried to get in the right place and as the sun popped over Haytor the the cloud base lit up scarlet. These are my favourite, but short lived conditions, but alas don't happen very often.

I captured this Hercules military transport aircraft passing over Lake Windermere and thought this almost silhouette shot departing into the distance against the thick white cloud base was very atmospheric.

September 1, 2018 - I-80 Westbound by Gibbon Nebraska US

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After that last storm fizzled out. I had a short drive back to K-Town and what looked like a roll cloud from a distance turned out to be a shelf cloud without it being attached to another cloud base.

Technically this should have appeared to be rotating on a horizontal access but its definition would be a shelf cloud. Due to its formation. This time of years almost anything is possible cloud-wise in Nebraska.

I pulled off for a few minutes til this passed over. It would eventually become a severe thunderstorm as it went through Adams County and eastward. Storms were traveling fast at 45mph so I wasn't going to try and stay ahead of it and chase this cell.

*** Please NOTE and RESPECT the Copyright ***

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Dale Kaminski @ NebraskaSC Photography

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This image may not be copied, reproduced, published or distributed in any medium without the expressed written permission of the copyright holder.

#ForeverChasing

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Taken 8 minutes before sunrise under a heavy overcast with Virga falling. Note the Virga as a rough cloud base lit by the rising sun. This Virga persisted through at least noon time.

Picture of the Day

Belgian Open back in 2012 - EBSH

I wanted to get the three bridges together with all three bridges landing and looking north. So I've named them the "Three Sisters" The weather was ideal yesterday with the low cloud base giving me the opportunity for a long exposure, I hope you enjoy my images, thanks again for taking the time to view and comment. The blurb and credits below was sourced from Wikipedia.

The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, 9 miles (14 kilometres) west of Edinburgh City Centre. It is considered an iconic structure and a symbol of Scotland (having been voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder in 2016), and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Forth Road bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting Edinburgh, at Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry. It replaced a centuries-old ferry service to carry vehicular traffic, cyclists and pedestrians across the Forth

The Queensferry Crossing is a road bridge in Scotland. It was built alongside the existing Forth Road Bridge and carries the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth between Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, and Fife, at North Queensferry, (courtesy of Wikipedia}

Yesterday they started major roadworks to the bridge, however, there were no major problems during the morning peak after the Queensferry Crossing had closed to southbound traffic for resurfacing work. Motorists travelling towards Edinburgh from Fife have been diverted onto the Forth Road Bridge while 15 metres of tarmac on the crossing is replaced.

It still looks beautiful from this standpoint

The sun has set fifteen minutes ago and the blue hour begins. The horizon and the cloud base seem golden. The stormy sea crashes wave after wave against the shore and its splashes reach my photo equipment. No reason to give up. Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK.

Amazing cloud base.

An intense cold front gradually lowers the cloud base shrouding the summit of Moel Hebog in cloud as crepuscular rays of light dance around it's base.

linktr.ee/dubdarragh

With the rising sun attempting to break through the cloud base 66523 has got 4M32 Felixstowe to Birch Coppice rolling again after its run round at Duddeston Junction whilst the crew of 66726 Sheffield Wednesday stretch their legs prior to running into RMC with 6G51 from Hindlow.

This one is fun to look at Large. Go ahead and click on it!

I forget where we were... I was chasing behind Marcus Gutierrez and Brandon Ivey, and I think it was day three. We were having a great time under this cloud base next to a train yard. There was so much motion on the outside column that we were sure something good would happen, but then it started blowing winds at us, which is the sign of a dying storm

September 1, 2018 - I-80 Westbound by Gibbon Nebraska US

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After that last storm fizzled out. I had a short drive back to K-Town and what looked like a roll cloud from a distance turned out to be a shelf cloud without it being attached to another cloud base.

Technically this should have appeared to be rotating on a horizontal access but its definition would be a shelf cloud. Due to its formation. This time of years almost anything is possible cloud-wise in Nebraska.

I pulled off for a few minutes til this passed over. It would eventually become a severe thunderstorm as it went through Adams County and eastward. Storms were traveling fast at 45mph so I wasn't going to try and stay ahead of it and chase this cell.

*** Please NOTE and RESPECT the Copyright ***

Copyright 2018

Dale Kaminski @ NebraskaSC Photography

All Rights Reserved

This image may not be copied, reproduced, published or distributed in any medium without the expressed written permission of the copyright holder.

#ForeverChasing

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Dull and cloudy evening, just a few patches of light occasionally picking out something. Briefly a patch fell on the hillside near the peak of North Barrule in the background... it typically it's hidden beneath a low cloud base, even in summer, so I should be grateful it put in an appearance.

I hope you are not too bored of bluebells yet - It's coming to a peak this week on Dartmoor with the recent very warm weather. I wanted to capture them in perhaps a more typical setting this year and popped down the other evening when the cloud base had dropped.

Showing the depth of the snow drifts as the loco runs round. However whats more interesting is the cloud bank in the background showing I am above the cloud base , something I will never forget

As true as possible to the conditions of the day

a deluge of emotion raining down the Tor

oblique, occasionally obscured, the mind at play

tricks of the Spring trading in it's warmth for

the changes we lavish with stats to get our way

now all forgotten, open to the Sanctus winds in store

following a fatherly lead progress really is made

undestroyed memories pass like high-speed windows

of the train that doesn't stop at my station frayed

for this is already the journey of never ending shadows

images of bygone fellows burrow the mind and invade

now up this timeless path to the frenzy of misted narrows

what cannot be true engages the senses out of wedlock

refined living and celebate myths rise ever-more steeper

the stories of others battles it's way into a souvenir woodblock

highlighted by stove-light to illuminate the diary keeper

visions past play before the Tor to this windswept flock

as if the rich strain of today's forebearance could possibly be any deeper

the howls and hoots of weathering beyond the graves

whistles past me like a snapshot of reanimate comfort

what joy it brings over these dark momentary waves

now there's no time for any time-sickness's discomfort

as time itself forever marches with no conscience of how it behaves

for such defined reasoning of this moment is left to the scale of Beaufort!

now it's done, the weather leaves no cadre unturned, so to speak

just the cacti touch of presage-driven rain into this speed camera record

of all we have done upon the humbling trail of ancestral antique

thus it becomes ever clearer, staggering up the hill of reverence restored

for every monument on the surface has inner revelations unique

and that's for us to decipher, for it's this elemental grounding we walk toward.

by anglia24 (in the steps of my forebears)

09h45: 05/06/2008

©2008anglia24

Monsoon thunderstorms across Arizona frequently provide some of the most intense, colorful and beautiful lightning strikes imaginable. The arid climate and associated high cloud base allows for an unimpeded view of the lightning channels during these intense storms. In the above photograph, a cloud-to-ground stroke connects with an intracloud stroke, serving as a background to the University of Arizona campus dorms in Tucson.

Olympus OM-2S

Fuji Velvia ISO 50 color slide film

10-15 second exposure

Aperture unknown (like between f/5.6 - f/8)

This shot was taken in September 1999, one of my first professional-quality lightning photographs. It shot was featured fullpage in the University of Arizona Alumni Association quarterly (Seen here).

See the rest of my lightning photos

Google Maps View

Reaching cloud-base over the back of the Bin of Cullen - lower right - looking out over the Moray coast. From left to right, the coastal villages are Buckie, Findochty, Portknockie, and Cullen. Across the Moray Firth, there's a wee bit of Sutherland, or maybe Caithness, to be seen on the horizon.

For the meteorologists, the prevailing wind has to ride over the billowing cumulous cloud, causing a hint of a lenticular cloud to form; they're more often and easily seen on their own when strong winds have blown across the mountains. Also, there's a hint of a spectre at the bottom-right of the frame, as I was flying through the wispy edges of another cloud here.

Bit of different scenery for this post, a place that I love but haven't visited much recently, Snowdonia, Afon lloer to be precise.

We'd headed down in the van for a long weekend late on Thursday night to make the most of our time there, the forecast wasn't looking great but we just fancied a nice weekend away so wasn't expecting too much.

On this particular day, we were due to climb Tryfan, however as the cloud base was so low we decided against it and thought it might be a good idea to make use of our National Trust membership instead. As we were heading to our chosen place, the clouds started to clear and a sunset was starting to look quite promising. The choice was either head to Llanddwyn Island, a place we'd both wanted to photograph at sunset for some time and face potentially perfectly clear skies or head back to the mountains and chance some stormy light. We decided on the latter and off we drove back towards Tryfan.

We had visited this spot a day earlier to scout the compositions, I struggled a little trying to compose a shot with the waterfalls and Tryfan in the distance, but I think it turned out ok in the end with a small shaft of light just creeping into the corner of the image.

As quickly as the sun disappeared, a slightly different situation unfolded as a S&R heli thundered through the sky right past us and proceeded to hover along the flanks of Tryfan. It turns out a father and daughter had gotten slightly off track and were stuck on the steep sides needed help to descend. It's a very real reminder of how dangerous the mountains can be and how amazing the Mountain Rescue/Search and Rescue teams are!

Copyright ©2017 Sarah Louise Pickering

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