Can clouds enhance your landscapes?

“So fine was the morning except for a streak of wind here and there that the sea and sky looked all one fabric, as if sails were stuck high up in the sky, or the clouds had dropped down into the sea.”
― Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse 

Do you look up at the sky and see the clouds? Do you use them to enhance your landscape images?
This months project for my Photography group is clouds. Clouds can add drama or enhance a scene. And we all know how glorious a sunrise or sunset can be when there are clouds - especially over the sea.

What glorious colours the sky can be - these images in my collage below were taken between lunch time one day, and 5pm the next afternoon. It was an interesting project and the results were quite amazing to see the changes over the two days. 
In the top LH corner lunch time the sky was blue with a few clouds, then that evening there was beautiful pink colours in the late afternoon sky, threatening clouds next morning (middle R), rain at lunch time so all cloud (the lighthouse pic), and the next afternoon driving home, a glorious sunset.
What an ever changing colourful pallet the sky has! And the clouds certainly allow the colours to come through.
These images are all totally straight out of camera.

Blood red sunrise on Anzac Day last April.  When we saw this on our way home from the Anzac Day dawn service last 25 April, I felt like it signified the flowing blood of those who have lost their lives fighting to keep our country and families free.

Sunset at Coral Bay. We had gone to the cliff top to have sunset drinks. The sky was completely clouded so we thought is was going to be a none event. But the evening was beautiful and the view superb - and then this -

Below we see sunset at Denham, Shark Bay, with the colours of the clouds reflecting on the water, sunset at Hopetoun on our south coast, and sunset down the street from my house.  The first one, at Denham, we had rented a beach front cottage and I was standing at the kitchen bench cooking tea, when I saw this sunset, so I dropped everything, and ran down to the beach with my camera, leaving my husband to finishing cooking tea. (he is used to me doing this by now)

Late afternoon at my sister and brother-in-law's farm at Bruce Rock in our central wheatbelt. This is their front paddock. You can see the view from the house looking east. I never tire at looking at this view when we visit. Isn't the tree magnificent! It is a salmon gum.

 I love taking photos of clouds out of airplane windows when we fly. This image I call my Himalaya sunrise - you can see the mountain peaks thrusting up through the clouds. Taken on a flight back from the UK somewhere over Asia.

This one taken at Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges in our south west with the clouds obscuring the view reminds me of Wuthering Heights.

And at days end - I saw this sunset starting to happen when I left work late one afternoon last year. Instead of driving home I went to the beach, took off my shoes, walked down onto the beach and took some shots. The moment was certainly a gift.

Do you look up and take photos of clouds? Do you notice how they change over the day? 
Do you see how the rising or setting sun reflects off the clouds making them glow glorious colours that change every minute? Do you use clouds to enhance your landscape images?

I know I have other cloud photos in my collection. I still can't decide which cloud photo to use for my Photography Group submission next week. What would be your choice?

Have a wonderful week, and thank you for stopping by.

I am linking up with other wonderful contributors at Mosaic Monday - and Our World Tuesday - and -  Travel Photo Thursday    Please click on the links to take a look around the world. 


You might also like - please click on the links - 



Dryandra woodland in early morning light, Western Australia
Flying high with my camera