RESULTS - Mini Challenge #365 - Clouds, clouds, and more clouds

Thank you everyone for your patience with me. There are so many great cloud photos here that I’ve had a little problem deciding on favorites. But, as always, it must be done so here goes. First, my favorite from each participant. I always think this part is fun when I enter, and I find it helps me organize my thoughts toward final results. As usual, my ranking is mostly about how the theme is followed and how the photo strikes me. Totally subjective in other words.

Jo, @Cavalier, I really liked all three of yours. Nothing against Yellowstone and Yosemite, but I’m going with your first photo, Threatening Cloud over the Pacific. The mood of that photo is just totally ominous, and I liked the way the kind of oval shape of the cloud on the right complemented the pattern of the birds on the left. The lenticular cloud almost snuck ahead of it, though.

@grandmaR, the sunset sky behind the boat has so much detail it almost looks painted. The colors are just wonderful. But I think my favorite is Leaving Sydney. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something almost otherworldly about the clouds and the silhouetted skyline.

Jeff @jwear, you might need wings and flaps on your car to follow those directions… cool shot, though.

Sherry @slpollett, it was really tough to pick out a favorite between the Cadillac Mountain sunrise and the Vermillion Cliffs. In the end though, I think that the appeal of the Vermillion Cliffs is also in great part due to the rock formation itself and the green in the foreground. So, my favorite is Cadillac Mountain since the amazing color and clouds rule that photo.

Kate @kdotaylor, I really like all three of your entries. The contrasting, saturated colors in the first are really great. But my favorite is the last one, Rural Iowa. The simple composition and the soft warm colors near the horizon are really nice. And the clouds almost look like a sponge painting. I want to lay down in the grass and pick out different shapes like I did when I was a kid.

Shawn @shawnc, this was another hard one. Again, I like all three of your entries. Each one is different but still lovely. The sweeping shape of the clouds and the soft, warm quality of the light in Sea Side, Oregon really appeals to me, so that’s my favorite.

Sara @sarasphotos, another great set. The clouds over the Alps are pretty ominous, and I really like the clouds right on the water in Rovinj, Croatia. The soft sunset colors are really nice. But, I really like January Sunrise at home. I think I’ve said before I envy your view, and although I’m not an early riser having a show like that in the morning just might tempt me to change.

Gretchen @sapphire73, my favorite of your photos is actually the non-entry. I won’t include it in my consideration but I wanted to say that. While I like the detail in the B&W cloud photo, Morning Clouds over Ocean City, and the way a haziness comes into Clouds above Sanibel Island on the right, I really like Autumn Day in Pennypack Watershed Preserve. I know there must be some vicious wins at high altitudes to give the clouds that feathery appearance, but the overall impression is gentle—at least at ground level.

OK, now for the (even) harder part.
Honorable Mentions to:
@grandmaR Leaving Sydney
@Cavalier Threatening Cloud over the Pacific

3rd Place: @kdotaylor Rural Iowa. So peaceful, and such interesting clouds.

2nd Place: @shawnc Sea Side Oregon. I feel swept into this image by the shape of the clouds and the way the light varies from left to right.

1st Place: @slpollett Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park, Maine. My mouth is still hanging open from the dramatic colors and the detail in the clouds.

Thank you everyone for providing such a difficult challenge. And thanks for being patient with my tardiness in finishing up. Sherry, the next challenge is yours.

And apologies for not including the actual photos in this post. I put the links in but for some reason the photos are not showing up. In the interest of finally getting the results out I posted it anyway. I seem to have lost some critical bit of knowledge. Obviously I'm not capturing the links from the challenge thread correctly... Sorry.