Theme: Storm front

[Nancy Bell]

Another sky image from Colorado. From our former home at 8,000 feet we were in position to see for 40 miles and had a front row seat to watch the weather arrive. The Indians called this area the "rain splitter", as the weather would split as it approached our area and slide down one canyon or the other, often leaving us with just the wind and no rain.

Processed with a layer of Smart photo editor and 2 layers from Topaz Impression, with PS adjustments.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Wow, Nancy, it almost looks like the Aurora Borealis! And I love the rain splitter description. I like the ominous colors and the sense of motion in the trees. It must have been wonderful watching the weather from your home.

[Dennis Bishop]

WOW!!! This is so good. First, I took in the colors and the wild sky with the silhouettes of the trees. But then, I saw something else -- the blustery weather beast. Its left eye is next to the tree, its right eye a bit higher, and its mouth is close to the horizon. The rest of the sky is parted as the beast charges through it. (That probably doesn't have its origins in Native American folklore. )

[Diane Miller]

My first impression was aurora! I absolutely love the sky and the spooky-looking ground, but I'm not so fond of the trees. But that's just me -- the wide-angle distortion that causes trees to lean in just a look I don't care for. But they are pointing at the dramatic sky.

I would have been tempted to clone them out in the original and replace them with others (easy to drop in a silhouette in a blending mode), then do the filter effects. Or maybe filter the sky then add the trees unfiltered. Lots of possibilities. I will usually mess with an iPhone shot before processing it.

[Mitch Carucci]

Really dramatic. You can hear the crackle of oncoming thunder.

[Hazel Grant]

Yes, I saw the eyes of the beast also. Thought it would make a great cover for a Stephen Kng novel. Does look a bit aurora, too. Nice work.

[Diane Miller]

Oh dear --- now I can't quit seeing the beast. I missed it completely at first (posted at about the same time as Dennis). The scientist is me was seeing an aurora.... Dennis wins!

[Adhika Lie]

This is awesome. Yeah, now I see the beast, too! haha. Rain splitter, eh? That's really interesting. Do you know what's causing that phenomena? I bet you have a lot of interesting skies throughout the year! :D

[Kerry Perkins]

Wow, love the colors and the motion in the sky! Very dramatic and cinematic. I can imagine the trees leaning in to the oncoming storm.

[Anita Bower]

Gorgeous! Love it. Love that sky. The trees ground it and provide scale. Excellent processing. Outstanding colors. Fantastic image.