DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This stunning storm image looks like a dragon approaching

Aug 30, 2021 by Dunja Djudjic Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Remember when we were kids searching for shapes in the clouds? Okay, I still do it, but looks like I’m not the only one. Michael Shainblum’s recent image shows a dragon approaching – and “the dragon” is made of storm clouds. I was blown away by the photo, so I chatted with Michael a bit about how he took it.

Michael was actually chasing a storm to shoot, but he also took photos of some cacti before the dark. He used a Sony A1 and a wide-angle zoom lens, Sony 16-35mm. The sun was already low, so the cacti were bathed in sunlight, looking gorgeous. Michael started with a panoramic image captured from the bottom upwards. The dramatic clouds were already visible in the sky, but no trace of the storm (or dragons) just yet. Michael got a bit lower for the second shot. He took a single photo which he liked a lot and then noticed how the clouds looked almost like “little monsters” floating in the sky.

You know what they say: third time’s a charm. Michael turned around, this time facing the sun. He took another photo ended up with the image that became his favorite of the three. The image that also grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it:

“I love scenes like this when you can transform seemingly ordinary things, make them just a little bit more fantasy-like,” Michael explains. “These [cacti] almost look like little aliens observing the formation of the storm out there in the distance. Almost like the storm has the audience of little creatures.”

What I first saw was the dragon made of clouds. To me, it looks like these “little aliens” are observing the dragon that’s approaching them, and it gives a whole new dimension of drama and tension to the image. Michael saw it too, and titled the finished image “Approach of the Dragon.”

Funnily enough, Michael wasn’t sure about this image when he first took it. He was rushing a bit so he wasn’t too dedicated to the shot. But once he took it to Lightroom and edited it, it ended up being his favorite from the series. As he admits, it happens pretty often: the images he questions most eventually become his favorite. So I’m glad that he decided to keep this one!

Michael shared the process behind taking this photo in the video above. But there’s much more to watch and like in it. After photographing the cacti and “the dragon,” the sun set and the storm started in the distance. The lightings began to strike and Michael devoted his time to shooting the thunderstorm, ending up with some more beautiful shots.

The very next day, Michael went out again. It was his birthday, and nature gave him quite a  fireworks! But more than that, he was able to shoot it and he was rewarded with his favorite lighting shot that he’s ever taken. Quite a gift right?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michael Shainblum (@shainblumphotography)

Make sure to check out Michael’s website for more of his work, follow him on Instagram, and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

This Epic Storm Timelapse Will Make You Want To Get Close And Personal with A Storm How to get over your fear of approaching and photographing strangers in the street Drone pilot captures the frightening moment he spots a shark approaching his family Direction, Cinematography, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: cactus, DRAGON, Michael Shainblum, Storm, Storm chasing, thunderstorm

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« These photos show how adorable frogs can be
Woman sentenced to 7 days jail, $2000+ fine and 2-year ban for walking on Yellowstone thermal pool »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy