Extreme weather

This is epic, hardcore and the epitome of extreme! Extremely evoking, basic, scary and beautiful all at the same time. Expert composition, subject matter and photography mastery with Mother Nature biting down. Stare at this image and listen to the dramatic sounds and perhaps a symphony of cinematic crescendos. Add a movie title and you have an epic movie poster. I'll be the first in line to watch this flick from the warmth and comfort of a theatre. Another photo from this artist / extreme adventurer deserves to be in the top 10, but I went with just one. Bravo!

I'm glad the photographer waited months for the right conditions and stood out in the cold, biting wind to bring us this image. There is something about the upward sloping of this wave that is terrifying... perhaps the cliche reminder of how small we are, or perhaps the fact that I'm a surfer and am imaging myself being so easily smashed against the rocks? I'm guessing the photographer filled up an SD card with other shots from this event, but this one definitely has that certain something that brings us to this UK coast. The artist shows his/her mastery by breaking typical balance rules and also by the classy or minimal post color correction editing. Slight warm monotones throughout contrast the scary with serene.

This contest is about extreme weather and this photo brings us just that... extreme peaceful weather. The photography mastery and excellent post skills surpass mine and probably yours so let's all just admire the fantastic subject matter and how often it must have been overlooked by amateurs. It's hard to believe that rickety dock has not been completely demolished by a wave half a meter tall. Take a moment of silence and stare. Imagine you're about to set out with your sweetie in one of those boats. Now wake up and come back to reality and post a picture of your food on Facebook. Dreamy photograph!

Is the city cut out? It looks pretty Photoshopped. Regardless, you have the right idea of capturing an awesome bolt during the magic hour over a scenic overlook or foreground. The colour correction and overall orange glow look too unrealistic for my taste. Try to get this shot and colours naturally and then you'll really have something that people will respond well to. Keep up the good work and keep refining, reforming and improving. I'll try to do the same.

This is another photo that shows us when dealing with fantastic weather, a simple snap shot gets it done! In situations like this Mother Nature does all the work and the photographer simply documents it. This phenomenon is so foreign to me, I want to examine it from a human perspective so I'm glad the photographer brought it to us this way. Yes, there are probably some really neato, artistic angles and opportunities missed here, but would they give us the best observing perspective?

Another example of photography at it's finest on all levels. The photographer has the training and intuition to bring a neat swirling storm and present it with beautiful and breathtaking perception. The crab-eye view of the swirls of sand seem to mock the approaching storm. Songwriters often say that good simple songs are the most difficult to compose. I believe this is the same for photographers. To me, the true masters see what everyone else has overlooked. Perhaps more impressive then the photographer's subject matter eye is his/her eye for colour composition. Excellent post skills!

This photo is important to me to show that you don't have to be a great seasoned photographer with expensive gear to get a great photo. It was shot with a Sony but it could have just as easily been shot with a smart phone and processed through Instagram. When a squall overtakes you the turbulent clouds overhead can be quite dramatic and it's a very common sight for storm chasers in Tornado Alley, but over a water way in France? That's unique to me. I'm also partial to the bilateral or mirror symmetry but the element that sold this deal to me was the bird. Next time, pan down just a tad ;)

I wish this one was in my portfolio - a perfect all around lightning strike shot. It's obvious this scene had been staked out for some time and finally, Pow! I know the feeling... a breathtaking overlook with Mother Nature serving up the mercy. I'm not sure I've ever seen New York City look so calm and peaceful! Thank you for not ruining this image by over-ramping the saturation like so many others do. This is a great presentation of how the discharge must have truly appeared in nature.

Impressive bilateral symmetry with more epic subject matter to gawk at than the eyes can process in brief glances. If this was a large print you could get lost in so many elements here... The fluorescent green pools and the sea of green; the ice falls and sickles, oh yeah; and then there's the perfect Church Mountain peak mirroring the stream with flaming auroras drifting by. This may be a popular tourist destination, however a photo like this hasn't come across my LCD screen until now. Stanley Kubrick would be proud!

Of the three water spout photos presented in the contest this was my favorite, and you gotta have at least one tornado or spout in an extreme weather contest especially if the judge specializes in shooting tornadoes. Like so many of my photos, Mother Nature does all the work and there are no artistic decisions on my part to brag about. This is simply beautiful phenomena with perhaps a bit too much saturation in my humble opinion. This goes to show you that when photographing weather it's often all about location, location, location and luck.

When photographing severe weather you're really at the mercy of Mother Nature and her often unpredictable elements. You can't bring lights to light the tornado or tell the lightning to strike in the center of your frame. It's highly about being in the right place at the right time and luck. Here, we are there! This photograph does not exhibit beautiful colours or artistic balance and unique composition. It just flat out captures a spectacular moment. That's it. And I really love this moment.

Totally the right idea going for a bolt of lightning over blue flowers, however there's a few things wrong here. One is the obvious Photoshopped border give-away between the flowers and the tree line. The second is that the lightning is a bit over-exposed. Keep trying to get this image and maybe Mother Nature will bless you with a closer and more dramatic lightning strike. Also watch the unrealistic saturation of the sky. Though the colours are pretty, you'll get better responses from people if they're more natural... and you'll feel better about the photo as well.

This is an epic capture of lightning with great foreground subject matter - a feat extremely difficult to catch together. This photo could have been a winner in the top ten, except there is one blatant mistake in my humble opinion - the saturation levels have been ramped up to unrealistic. Often the internet rewards such maneuvers because people are generally wowed by saturated colours, however on the professional photography level, which the artist is clearly capable of, this is considered amateur. The ghost artifact from the lightning is also something that needs to be dealt with. It appears you're shooting jpegs, and not Raw and might have been surprised by the close strike's over exposure.

This photo troubled me and I'm still not sure if I made the right decision bumping it out of the top 10. There is nothing negative to say about this picture, only positive props: props for the black and white delivery, props for the keen eye for subject matter and interest, props for the framing and overall unique composition. Thanks for bringing us the sensation of our loose clothes flapping in the cool wind, and the wonder of what's in that old structure.