Most photographers like to photograph their landscape pictures on a beautiful day with clear sunny blue sky, without a doubt scenery as such makes us happy. I used to be doing that at the past, but things change slightly nowadays for me. I think artists are crafters of human thought and emotion, I want to try expressing the emotion and dramatic mood in my landscape photography. Since then, I started chasing storm clouds in Penang Island since the last two years. The mother nature never fails to surprise me with the spectacular phenomenon. Now, I would go out when I know there will be a storm, to try get some pictures. The downside of shooting at bad weather is that, if you are unprepared it's easy to get soaking wet or having your gears damaged by rain water. And not forgetting, the possible risk of being strike by lightning.
Often, I will carry a big umbrella with me when I plan to chase the storm. I always have my bag's built-in rain coat on to protect my gears from getting wet. A cleaning cloth is a must, to get ready for the needs to wipe off rainwater on my camera lens. Most importantly, I think there is not a single photo that is worth more than our own life, it's always good to think of our own safety when photographing on the field.
To get massive storm clouds in Penang Island can be quite rare due to our geographical location. Penang island is strategically sheltered between the peninsular of Malaysia and Sumatra of Indonesia. Fortunately, we still get monsoon season in Malaysia, so this will give us some variation of climates throughout the year.
From these photos, maybe you can relate that having the best photographic gears are not the things that make a good photographer. In my opinion, it is the commitment and effort to anticipate that perfect shot matters. I hope you enjoy what I am sharing, feel free to share them with your friends. Thank You
