Ralph Arwood Photography
11 Fathoms Up
The view from our front porch!
Cloud Iridescence
This thunderstorm moved toward the setting sun, giving a prolonged display of Cloud Iridescence.
Cloud iridescence occurs as colors in a cloud similar to those seen in oil films on puddles. The colors are usually pastel, but can be very vivid. When occurring near the sun, the effect can be difficult to spot as it is blocked by the sun's glare.
Iridescent clouds are a diffraction phenomenon caused by small water droplets or small ice crystals scattering light. Larger ice crystals do not produce iridescence, but can cause halos, a different phenomenon.
If parts of clouds contain small water droplets or ice crystals of similar size, their cumulative effect is seen as colors. The cloud must be thin, so that most rays encounter only a single droplet. Iridescence is mostly seen at cloud edges or in semi-transparent clouds, while newly forming clouds produce the brightest and most colorful iridescence.
Sunsets
Its been an amazing week for sunsets! All photos were made with an iPhone 6Plus.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Western Lights
My plan was to return to Iceland this winter to photograph more Northern Lights. Life had other plans. After multiple reminders that you can make god laugh by telling her your plans, I switched to photographing the Western Lights. Its been a good year for sunsets over the Gulf. The curtains of red and yellow light show best with high clouds, the higher the better.
Green Flash
Last nights sunset ended with a green flash! The green flash is viewable because refraction bends the light of the sun. The atmosphere acts as a weak prism, which separates light into various colors.
Sunrise Storm
The colors remind me of the paintings by the Florida Highwaymen.
Sunrise Rainbow
This time of year we usually get our storms in the afternoon. Today they rolled in from the Gulf at sunrise.
Lightning
Now that Erika has dissipated we can get back to our normal August weather.