Question about those weird, wavy 'undulatus' clouds

I spent like 45 minutes yesterday trying to get a good picture of some over my house in Phoenix, but the sun kept washing them out (my phone camera just couldn't handle it). Anyone have a trick for shooting clouds in super bright light?

3 comments

3 Comments

ellis.nina3mo ago

Oh man, that exposure trick @finley_lee mentioned is a lifesaver! It's funny how the best fix is often just working with what you've got instead of buying more stuff. I see that everywhere now, like people rushing to solve a problem by adding something new when the real answer is learning the basics better. My old point-and-shoot camera was the same way, you had to fight with it to see what it was actually seeing. Those clouds are worth the hassle though, they look like a painting when you finally get the shot right.

luna_sanchez9d ago

That undulatus asperatus name is wild, never knew they had an official title. Your point about working with what you have is so true. I went through the same thing with an old DSLR that was basically a brick in low light. Ended up learning to shoot in raw and tweak exposure curves in post instead of dropping cash on a new lens. Those clouds look totally different when you mess with the highlights and shadows a bit, makes them pop like crazy. Did you find any editing apps that handle that kind of detail without crashing your phone?

finley_lee3mo agoTop Commenter

Those are actually called undulatus asperatus clouds, the wavy ones got their own official name a few years back. For bright light, try tapping your screen on the brightest part of the cloud to lock the exposure, then slide your finger down a bit to darken the whole shot. A polarizing filter clip for your phone helps cut the glare a ton, they're like twenty bucks online. I got a decent shot of some mammatus clouds last monsoon using that method, just takes some fiddling.