Submitter's name:	Brian Swale
Title:	Clearing storm over the Bay. Everything you see here is water ... Three miles away or more.
Gear used:	OM4Ti, Zuiko 300 f/4.5, Bogen telephoto lens support, Gitzo 320 Studex tripod with Manfrotto 3-way pan/tilt head, camera self-timer with aperture pre-fire and mirror lift.
Diaphragm:	f/11
Shutter speed:	1/250 sec.
Film used:	Fuji Superia Reala 100 asa.
Technical information:	Scanned on a KTX 4800 AP flat-bed scanner from a 6x4 print on Agfa Prestige Digital print scanned from the negative at 400 DPI by an Agfa D-Lab.3 digital processor at 162 dpi. Image tweaked with Adobe Photo Deluxe to bring it close to the print (but is it close to the reality as it was?). The incoming wind and clouds moved surprisingly quickly and the self-timer was rather a handicap; the image had usually altered significantly from that intended by the time the shutter actually did its thing.
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Comments:

Comment left by: Wayne Harridge (no e-mail specified)

Good shot - was that the actual colour ?

Comment left by: Mickey Trageser (no e-mail specified)

Very strong and moody.

Comment left by: Jim Caldwell (jamesfc@gte.net)

I forgot what that looks like, it's been so dry here. Thanks for sharing!

Comment left by: The Photographer/author (None given)

Hi, I've decided that I made an error when matching the print color after scanning, which itself was probably wrongly coloured by the lab. After consideration I have re-done the image to better represent the colours and illumination at the time as I recall them and as other prints show. Hopefully Olafo will agree to do the swap.

Comment left by: bbbean (bbbean@beancotton.com)

3 miles? With a 300? I've tried to take this picture a dozen times, but never got the feel of the storm just right. You did a great job.

Comment left by: Joel Wilcox (no e-mail specified)

Wow. Decisive moment. Very fine composition. I really love this.

Comment left by: Buddy Walters (BWalters@attbi.com)

Absolutely Outstanding Photo! I have always felt that capturing the mood of weather on film is one of the most difficult to accomplish. You did this very well.

Comment left by: Brian (bj@caverock.net.nz)

From the moment I realised that this storm had pictorial possibilities and set up camera, lens and tripod, I was waiting and watching ( in between and while doing other things) for three hours from 9am to 12 noon. I took ten exposures. All shots were from my house balcony, 600 ft (about 180 metres above sea level. As the storm progressed and shafts of sunlight played on the water, beaming through the clouds moving with the wind, I was never sure if "this is the best", or "it's all over now", or what. At intervals I recorded compositions that appealed to my sense of what would made a good picture. It turned out in the end that the last shot is the one used for TOPE. I just had to be patient, knowing that a chance like this might never come again. The bright light patch is actually 5 miles (8 km) away, and the distant light patch about 8 miles away. Those waves would have been 2 - 3 metres or more high.

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