Panorama of Approaching Storm
A series of full panoramas of an approach storm over Albuquerque, New Mexico. I included both color and black and white versions – each seems to have its own focus and strengths.
Approaching Storm over Albuquerque (B&W Panorama #3, 2022), Albuquerque, NM (22″x86″)
Approaching Storm over Albuquerque (Color Panorama #3, 2022), Albuquerque, NM (22″x86″)
Storm Clouds from NM 556
Storm clouds over the Sandia Mountains, shot from NM 556 in the North Valley outside Albuquerque. Two crops- one of them removes the tree in the foreground on the left. Can’t decide which I like more, so I shared both panoramas.
Storm Clouds over Sandias from NM 556 (Color #1, 2022), Albuquerque, New Mexico (20″x54″)
Storm Clouds over Sandias from NM 556 (BW #2, 2022), Albuquerque, New Mexico (20″x40″)
Approaching Storm
I was briefly in New Mexico for a couple of days for work, and I was lucky enough to overlap with a much-needed series of rainy, cool days. Here is one photograph I took of approaching storm clouds over Albuquerque. I purposefully made the focus 95% the sky, with very little hint of ground in the frame.
Approaching Storm (BW #1, 2022), Albuquerque, New Mexico (12″x22″)
Spring Storm Clouds from Devil’s Courthouse
Rain clouds approaching us at Devil’s Courthouse. The dark cloud in the distance over the ridge on the right moved over us and delivered some nice spring rain and thunder as we were hiking near Graveyard Fields about an hour later.
Spring Clouds from Devil’s Courhouse (Single Frame #1), Blue Ridge Parkway, NC (12″x21″)
Eastern Colorado Thunderstorm, Part 2
Another panorama of storms over the eastern Colorado plains off I-70 on County Road 134.
Storm Clouds and Glow on Horizon (Panorama #3), near Agate, CO (16″x37″)
Eastern Colorado Thunderstorm
I recently drove from Washington State to North Carolina. It was a haul, but there were some fantastic storms in Colorado. After passing through a wild hail/rain/thunderstorm in Denver, I pulled off I-70 on County Road 134 (near Agate) to photograph the surrounding storm clouds. There’s unfortunately no strong foreground element in this panorama, but I hope the texture of the boiling storm clouds is enough eye candy!
Storm Clouds and Glow on Horizon, near Agate, CO (16″x55″)
Santa Fe National Forest Winter Storm Clouds, 2019
Winter storm clouds gather behind cholla cacti on a plain west of I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Cholla Cactus and Winter Storm Clouds (B&W Panorama #4),
Santa Fe National Forest, NM (16″x40″)
Sandia Mountains and Clouds, 2019
The road to the Sandia Tram winds up the Sandia Foothills outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Road to Sandia Tram and Storm Clouds (B&W Panorama #1), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x68″)
Road to Sandia Tram and Storm Clouds (B&W Panorama #1), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x53″)
Sandias and Winter Storm Clouds, 2019
A lone juniper stands on a grassy slope in front of the Sandia Mountains in the high desert outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Juniper, Storm Clouds, Sandia Mountains (B&W Panorama #6), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x38″)
Winter Sunset and Cottonwoods
Last rays of sunlight poke through winter clouds over cottonwoods near the Rio Grande River outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Winter Sunset, Clouds, and Cottonwoods, Albuquerque, NM (16″x44″)
Panoramas of Sandia Mountains and Winter Storm Clouds
A few black and white panoramas of winter storm clouds over the Sandia Mountains on New Year’s Eve, 2018.
Winter Storm Clouds and Snow over Sandias (B&W Panorama #4, NYE 2018), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x35″)
Winter Storm Clouds and Snow over Sandias (B&W Panorama #1, NYE 2018), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x63″)
Sandia Mountains and Winter Storm
Snow, clouds, and fog from a winter storm over the Sandia Mountains, taken from Forest Service Road 333.
Winter Storm Clouds over Sandias (Single Frame), Cibola National Forest, NM (12″x18″)
Sandia Mountains and Winter Clouds
After a winter storm dropped a few inches of snow on the Sandia foothills, I stopped along Forest Service Road 333 to photograph this panorama of the light from the setting sun on the clearing storm clouds and Sandia Mountains.
Sun and Clouds after Winter Storm, Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x46″)
Winter Storm Clouds from Placitas, NM
While visiting with friends in Placitas, NM I and stopped to photograph the approaching winter storm over the Sandia Mountains.
Approaching Winter Storm and Sandia Mountains, Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x48″)
Winter Storm and Sandia Mountains (Single Frame), Strip Mine Trailhead, Cibola National Forest, NM (12″x18″)
Approaching Winter Storm in New Mexico
Every winter, I try to make time to travel back to New Mexico to visit family around the holidays. I enjoy hiking up into the Sandia Wilderness area east of town to photograph winter storm clouds (and possibly snow) on the mountains. Around Christmas day (2018), I took a few panoramas of the approaching winter storm clouds off to the west over the city. More panoramas of the winter storm coming in the next few weeks.
Approaching Winter Storm Clouds (Colo#1, 2018), over Albuquerque, NM (12″x23″)
Hazy and Clear views of Mt Sopris
After the fires this summer, views of Mount Sopris from Carbondale and the surrounding area were sadly hazy and smoky. A few evening rain clouds blew in over Sopris, but there wasn’t enough precipitation or wind to fully clear the air, leaving the views of one of my favorite mountains slightly obscured.
Sopris, Clouds, and Smoke, near Carbondale, CO (12″x18″)
Fortunately, on my last night in the area, the winds changed direction and pushed some of the smoke out of the region. It felt like I’d put on glasses- the view of Mount Sopris appeared crisp and well-defined as the setting sun cast a pink glow on the flanks of the mountain.
Sopris and Evening Clouds, near Carbondale, CO (12″x18″)
Light on Mountains near Winfield, CO
As we approached Winfield from Hope Pass along the Continental Divide Trail, the clouds parted near the horizon and allowed a few rays of golden light to shine across the valley onto Emerald Peak, Mt Belford, and Mt Oxford.
Light on Ridge near Hope Pass, near Buena Vista, CO (12″x18″)
Storm Cloud over Central District
I intended to focus my photo shoot on the Sound and the downtown Seattle skyline, but when I arrived at the Jose P Rizal Bridge, an impressive storm cloud was lumbering over the Central District. I shot a few panoramas of the sky as the clouds changed shape, and this is my favorite.
Storm Cloud over Central District at Sunset, Seattle, WA (16″x72″)
Luke Parsons Photography 