RevMac's WunderBlog

Best of WunderPhotos - June Gems
Posted by: RevMac, 20:00 GMT le 14 juin 2009 +0
Greetings WU Friends:

School's out for the summer (thanks for the song Alice) and it's time to start the best of June blog. Some of my all-time favorites are in this group. I'll be starting with the first twenty today and add more over the next weeks.

The best of June '09 will also be added in July. Your comments are appreciated and I hope we hear the stories from many of the photogs. Here's wishing you a great start to your summer.

Mitch
Lightning storm in New York (GrahamF)
Pretty good thunderstorm in NY last night (June 1st 2006). I got three shots of lightning hitting the Empire State Building, this is the best of the three.
Lightning storm in New York
To home (victorrusu)
To home
BACK FLIP (seafrog)
SMALL HUMPBACK WHALE BEING PLAYFUL TODAY IN MASSACHUSETTS BAY.
BACK FLIP
The Shot (Bucky)
This was the last shot I took underneath this storm before the precipitation came and we had to book it out of there. The quality of the light was simply aweseome, in the true sense of the word. The colors were not altered in this picture at all. This was taken while storm chasing with Silver Lining Tours.
The Shot
At Sand Harbor (Feather3)
The air was hot, dry, with no wind. It was the perfect day for people to enjoy the water. My son stayed in the car (!) while I walked along the nature trail shooting photos. Thanks again to TimmieTahoe07 for this wonderful photo-op! :)
At Sand Harbor
Supercell Lightning-storm (adkinsadam1)
Current Weather: HOURS and only one bolt! Supercell, and it was tornado warned.
Supercell Lightning-storm
Polyphemus Moth (squatchman)
Said to be the most common of North America's giant silk moths, the Polyphemus was named after the one-eyed giant of Greek mythology because of the large eyespots on its hindwings. The spots on all four wings are transparent.
Polyphemus Moth
()
Eddystone Rock (Judy)
The core of an extinct volcano, this unique rock formation puzzled early explorers who thought they were encountering a ship rising from the mists so common in SE Alaska.
Eddystone Rock
Tree Swallows (cruadin)
During mating, the male hovers, hummingbird-like, over the female and makes repeated landing attempts before completeing a very brief union. Swallows are very acrobatic in the air, but the stationary hovering action of the male seems be quite an effort for them.
Tree Swallows
Rainbow over Lake Ontario (Melagoo)
A beautiful rainbow came out over the lake and a rescue boat passed in front in a couple of these pix.
Rainbow over Lake Ontario
Orange Lily (cfree220)
PLEASE NOTE The background is meant to be out of focus. I have found that the image in the drops is lost if you have to great a depth of field.
Orange Lily
Hunt's Mesa Sunrise (caustic)
Taken yesterday morning atop Hunt's Mesa in Monument Valley. A little preview of what I have in the works as of late.
Hunt's Mesa Sunrise
The Magic of Sunlight (#2) (9929847)
The Magic of Sunlight (#2)
Curious (thomasanthony)
Two of three youngsters poking their noses out of their tree hole home.
Curious
World's highest geyser field (MarsShadow)
El Tatio geysers, Chile - above 14,000 ft. Cold temps in the teens caused the steam to statify near the ground just after sunrise
World's highest geyser field
Red-headed Woodpecker 3 (digidiva)
I have a pair of red-heads that come to my feeders daily and have a nest hole nearby. They are my favorite yard birds!
Red-headed Woodpecker 3
Beauty moth (tgupdate)
Beauty moth
Full Moon Sunset in Oceanside Oregon (xlr8r)
Perfect evening for a stroll on the beach...
Full Moon Sunset in Oceanside Oregon
Rocky Mountain high (Darby)
Peyto Lake,(pronounced PEE-TO) near the Bow summit in Banff National Park. The lake is one of the most photographed scenes in the park. In the background on the right you can see glacier on Mount Wilson, about 25 miles away. The lake was named after Bill Peyto, a guide in the Rockies
Rocky Mountain high
Blackstone Edge (mikecarter)
Blackstone Edge
Tornado 3 (BiloxiJim)
Starting to pick up a lot of stuff, at the same time the sun started to peek through.
Tornado 3
Its Me (gmp1993)
Its Me
Lightning over Kansas City (rymo)
Looking east from the roof of my apartment building
Lightning over Kansas City
Canoe and Morning Mist (ceocrocker)
Canoe and Morning Mist
God's Country (gilfink)
Oxbow Bend Snake River Teton National Park
God's Country
Thunderstorm approach (Llamadave)
Morning of June 22, 2006 in El Paso, Illinois. This storm produced more damage as it moved eastward.
Thunderstorm approach
Unique wave clouds in eastern Iowa (seajay1960)
Unique wave clouds in eastern Iowa
The Aliens Are Coming! (georgeandrewsusa)
Cicada coming out of his shell on the back steps almost at sundown. Didn't have time before he came out of his shell for any other light than the camera's own flash. Kind of glary...
The Aliens Are Coming!
Disney Magic (alfredogarciajr)
I was at Disneyland a couple of nights ago and took this image of the fantastic nightly fireworks display. The show was awesome and this image only captures some of the beauty and wonder though nothing like seeing it with your own eyes!!
Disney Magic
Lightening strikes. (TheDeanofTravel)
Lightening strikes near a farm in eastern Nebraska.
Lightening strikes.
just before the storm (pdwest)
just before the storm
just before the storm
Garden of the gods (RevBE)
40 pictures I took at the Garden of the gods as the clouds rolled through. The pictures have been stitched together so you can see the different lighting on the rock formation in the foreground. The mountain in the background is
Garden of the gods
Double Rainbow... (Cptkirk)
In Rural Kansas - The second, barely discernable!
Double Rainbow...
Multiple Strikes (Rev)
Some small thunderstorms rolled through northern Wyoming last night. It was a pretty good light show.
Multiple Strikes
Double Rainbow (mudkow60)
Nice site caught on our way down from 10K feet.
Double Rainbow
Clear Day 3 (Elyah)
this is a photo of a barn on a beautiful clear day!
Clear Day 3
Bouquet (Fancesco)
Piani di Castelluccio, Umbria region.
Bouquet
evening storm (2dogs)
evening storm
Alls right with the world (silvyr)
This was truly the most brilliant rainbow I have EVER seen! I didn't change the color of this photo at all... It really was this vivid.
Alls right with the world
Mesocyclone (live4storms)
This intense storm traveled from Kansas up into Nebraska. It intesified in strength and produce several comfirmed tornadoes. It was awsome. I have never seen the atmosphere move that way before.
Mesocyclone
It's Flat-Out HOT!! (TAP)
It's hard to stay cool when it's 95 degrees with very high humidity!
It's Flat-Out HOT!!
Summer Explosion (chelina)
Florida summer storms start to explode into action in the late afternoons.
Summer Explosion
ScenicOverlook (trigirl)
Ready to start an overnight hike at Newfound Gap near Cherokee, North Carolina, Smokey Mountains, the thunderstorms were rolling in. I spotted this big group of young Amish women standing on the edge of the overlook to see the fog, rain, and clouds on the surrounding mountains. A surprising and striking sight! And yes, the 8 of our group hiking up to Mt.LeConte got very, very wet!!
ScenicOverlook
Supercell, Greensburg, Kansas (lightfoot)
This supercell formed at the outskirts of Greensburg, Kansas today at about 7:00 PM.
Supercell, Greensburg, Kansas
Ripples in Streedagh Beach (vagabond2k6)
Ripples in Streedagh Beach
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Reader Comments
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1. Feather3 20:47 GMT le 14 juin 2009    
Hi, Mitch,

Thank you for adding "At Sand Harbor" to your June Mosaic.

In April of 2007, my oldest son became a father. I wanted so badly to meet my new grandson, so some folks at our church got together enough money for me to rent a car and a motel room for a couple of nights so I could go to Reno.

TimmieTahoe, a WU member here, told me about Sand Harbor as a wonderful place to shoot photos, so on Father's Day in June of 2007 after our visit to Nevada, we went over the Mt. Rose Highway out of Reno and around to Incline Village on Lake Tahoe.

My youngest son was with me on the trip. He's a coast-baby, born and raised here on the northern California coast, so the heat was too much for him. He elected to stay in the car while I walked around Sand Harbor and shot photos. This was my best from that series.

Thanks again for adding it.

Feather
Member Since: 12 décembre 2003 Posts: 72 Comments: 2923
2. AuntBrooke 20:49 GMT le 14 juin 2009    
Hi Mitch! Yet another great collection of pictures! I always enjoy scrolling through to see what was selected.
Member Since: 10 novembre 2008 Posts: 47 Comments: 7304
3. Melagoo 22:51 GMT le 14 juin 2009    
Thank you Mitch ... :c)

Very nice collection!
Member Since: 31 juillet 2006 Posts: 19 Comments: 1510
4. idzrvit 02:24 GMT le 15 juin 2009    
WOW! Another great collection of photos! One of my all-time favorite lightning photos is here from "Bucky". You have really picked some of the best for sure! Have a great day Mitch!

I'll check back as I know you add more!
Member Since: 17 Mars 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 895
5. RevMac 02:36 GMT le 15 juin 2009    
Great to hear from Darby in an email -

"This is Peyto Lake near the Bow Summit of the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park, Alberta. It's a favorite stopping point along the highway. Needless to say, it was a perfectly still morning and the lighting was ideal. It pays to get up early."

Ah yes, that early and late light and no wind can make a difference.

And thanks for your story Feather adding a personal side to this great shot and and a WU photog connection.

Greetings to AuntBrooke, Melagoo and idzrvit - thanks for checking in.
Member Since: 28 août 2007 Posts: 17 Comments: 62
6. Melagoo 16:48 GMT le 15 juin 2009    
I thought this would be appropriate to go along with the RAINBOW PIX ... It was an honourable mention in the - Here's How Photo Contest ...

I took out the woman's name and changed it to Rose - This is a very touching and sad story ...

Hello Gordon,

I am speechless as I just found this email today ... I would be honoured to help out and get them a picture from my original. I did not know this was an honourable mention until now ... wow what a story.

Hello Rose I am also sending this to you ... :c)

Thank you for letting me know :c)


Gary Lynch :c)


On 8/14/08 12:30 PM, "Gordon Brockhouse"

Dear Rose:

Thank you for your very touching story, and accept our condolences for the H___ family. I will of course pass your request onto Gary Lynch, the photographer who took that amazing rainbow picture.

Dear Gary:

Would you be kind enough to reply to Rose%u2019s request? If it would be easier for you, we%u2019d be happy to make a large print of your fabulous picture for Steven%u2019s mother, in whatever size (up to 13x19) that Rose thinks appropriate. Of course, we would not do this without your permission. And of course, if you want to deal directly with Rose, that%u2019s even better.

And please everyone, let me know how this turns out.

Sincerely,
Gordon Brockhouse.


On 8/14/08 9:48 AM, "Rose"

Hi Gordon,

My name is Rose and I am from Oakville, Ontario.

I%u2019m sending you this note after reading %u201CYour Best Shots%u201D article in the Marketnews Here%u2019s How magazine vol.7 no.4.
When I came across the rainbow photo on page 81, it reminded me of a recent tragic loss of a young man in our Glen Abbey, Oakville community and I decided that I would try to locate the photographer, Gary Lynch (who also is from Oakville according to the article) so that I may ask him for a copy of this photo to give to the mother of this young man.
Please allow me to tell you why.

On June 21, 2008 due to a boating accident in Muskoka, Steven H., age 24, went missing. A search and rescue effort was made but unfortunately, he did not survive the accident and his body was recovered the following Monday. We had heard about the accident from the very start through our son and his friends who knew Steven and his brothers. Steven%u2019s younger brother Scott played hockey with our son for many years and we also knew Steven%u2019s parents. Upon hearing of his death we were all very deeply saddened. On that same Monday, after a rainstorm, as my son and I were driving, we noticed the most amazing rainbow in the sky. We could see the beginning and the end of it and the colours were so vibrant. I had never seen such a beautiful rainbow before.

In the days to follow, we attended the funeral viewing for Steven. When speaking to his mother Jayne at the funeral home, she told me that the day they came home from finding Steven%u2019s body, which was that Monday, she saw a rainbow in the sky. I recounted that I too had seen the rainbow. She told us that seeing the rainbow that day gave her some comfort. She told us that Steven%u2019s favourite song was %u201CSomewhere over the Rainbow%u201D and seeing the rainbow that day was a sign to her that Steven was in a good place.

When I read the caption to the rainbow picture in your magazine, it states that the rainbow appeared shortly before sunset on a June evening after a rainstorm had passed through. I believe this is the same rainbow that we and Steven%u2019s mother had seen.

I think it would mean the world to Steven%u2019s mother to have a copy of this photo and I would like to ask the photographer, with your assistance, if he would be interested in sharing a copy to give to her.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me in making it possible.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Rose
Member Since: 31 juillet 2006 Posts: 19 Comments: 1510
7. ceocrocker 20:36 GMT le 15 juin 2009    
Canoe and Morning Mist is simply exactly what you see. We live on the Presumpscot River and one morning I wandered down to the river's edge as the sun was rising. Mist was rising from the river, and it all sort of came together in the resulting photo. Thanks for including it on your blog! What a great collection of photos. I'm honored to be included.

Claire in Maine
Member Since: 21 novembre 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 24
8. thomasanthony 22:23 GMT le 15 juin 2009    
Thanks Mitch for adding my shot of the baby racoons. There is a large tree in my parents front yard and apparently a racoon decided to make a nest in the cavity where a limb once was. We were having a family reunion when someone noticed a small face. Everyone gathered around and soon 3 faces appeared. They all seemed to want to see who was staring up at them.
They crowded that hole and finally all came out around sunset. They crawled around the tree for a while and then climbed back into the hole. They were gone the next day and we never saw them again. The mom must have been watching from a distance and didn't like the attention.
Great, great group of photos! Thanks for putting them together. Tom
Member Since: 1 septembre 2004 Posts: 0 Comments: 3
9. gilfink 01:24 GMT le 16 juin 2009    
Hi Mitch
Ditto thanks for adding my photo "God's Country" to your great collection. I took this photo in Teton Nat Park while visiting relatives in Jackson Hole. I walked off road to see the view by the river. I was amazed at the panorama. Water, Clouds, Mountains. I snapped the shot
and when I saw the results back home I had it made up poster size by Kodak. The framer when he saw the photo said "WOW" I agreed and the big photo now is on my living room wall.


Gil
10. RevMac 13:59 GMT le 16 juin 2009    
I hope you'll take time to read Melagoo's June 15 comment. I was so amazed at the rainbow I didn't stop to think about the reason for the rescue boat in the picture and how loss and hope are captured in one moment of time. Thanks Melagoo for helping this family and sharing the story.

Claire (ceocrocker) and Gil (gilfink)know a great pic when they see one and were in the right place at the right time. Now you've added two more places i want to visit.

Tom (thomasanthony)reminds us to shoot the shot while you can - sometimes great pics literally walk away if you wait too long. By the way, my wife loves this shot - she's a true mom.

I also heard from Judy via email

Hi Mitch -- I'm glad you enjoyed this shot. Let's see, what more can I say about this unique feature: It is the center of an extinct volcano which is on the east side of Revillagiggedo Island (visible in the background) in the Alexander Archipelago of SE Alaska. It can be found in the Misty Fjords National Monument. It rises alone here in the channel and when there is fog in this area, the island takes on a mysterious look of an old sailing ship floating in the mist. On low tide, there is actually a bit of beach accessible by boat, and this beach is often the site of weddings. Thanks for your interest, Judy

Thanks Judy. This looks like a good place for another WU photog reunion. Have a great day all.

Mitch

Member Since: 28 août 2007 Posts: 17 Comments: 62
11. Melagoo 15:05 GMT le 16 juin 2009    
Just a follow up to RevMac post ... The rescue boat was on Lake Ontario ... it was a total coincidence that it came into the picture. I found out about the drowning about two months later. It proved to me that there is a lot more to life than just living here on earth ... :c)
Member Since: 31 juillet 2006 Posts: 19 Comments: 1510
12. Sharrose 20:47 GMT le 16 juin 2009    
Wow what an amazing story Melagoo! Thanks for sharing the rest of the story!
Member Since: 21 février 2007 Posts: 1 Comments: 1124
13. charlesimages 03:08 GMT le 21 juin 2009    
AWESOME COLLECTION!! =D
Member Since: 25 mai 2006 Posts: 344 Comments: 29244
14. Rev 15:44 GMT le 22 juin 2009    
Mitch,

Thank you very much for featuring "Multiple Strikes" in this most excellent collection of photographs. I feel honored to be in the company of such great artists.

About "Multiple Strikes": Some small late evening thunderstorms were rolling off of Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains, so I decided to take a drive out south of Buffalo on Klondike Road. I set up the camera on the tripod and set for a 15 second exposure at ISO100. As soon as I clicked the shutter release all four of those lightning bolts hit at the same time. The sky shone a brilliant bright white, and I knew I had captured something amazing. I got such great feedback from Wunderground on this photo, and I would just like to say thanks again for all the Wunderful comments.

I have to admit, I'm beaming with a fair share of pride that my Great State of Wyoming is featured in two of the photos in this blog! Great Collection!

Thanks Again,

Tyrel
Member Since: 28 août 2002 Posts: 0 Comments: 1
15. silvyr 23:38 GMT le 24 juin 2009    
Thank you so much for including All's Right with the World in your June composite. This photo was taken right off my back patio- it shows the brilliant rainbow right in my backyard. Out of several personal disappointments, and betrayals, we found this property, and finally built our home. Being here has been one continuous blessing... reminding me often, that even when you think things have fallen apart... they are really coming together for the best possible outcome. All really IS right with the world.
Member Since: 23 mai 2008 Posts: 2 Comments: 1
16. seflagamma 16:46 GMT le 26 juin 2009    
Nice group!

enjoyed looking at them all!
Member Since: 29 août 2005 Posts: 286 Comments: 40485
17. live4storms 14:46 GMT le 28 juin 2009    
RevMac-Mitch asked me to talk a little more about my great adventure chasing the great plains where I got the shot Mesocyclone. But that would be a book. I would like to say that this is a shot that I had seen a few times but did not quite understand how people were getting it. I was confusing the shelf cloud that I had seen many times before with this phenomenon called a "mesocyclone". If you ever see it you will never get it confused again. I had to pass the TIV II, get one of my expensive cameras completely soaked, and dents all over my truck from the large hail to get the shot. But I think it was worth it. idzrvit got almost the same shot within a few days of me. An extra little note. I followed this storm all the way to Missouri, where it did not produce another photographic opportunity. The other storm I debated leaving this storm for (after getting this shot) dropped 5 very photogenic tornadoes. RATZ
Member Since: 7 janvier 2009 Posts: 0 Comments: 0
18. alfredogarciajr 18:34 GMT le 28 juin 2009    
Mitch,
Hello! As I told you in my response to you, I am posting to your blog. The story behind the pic is rather unextraordinary really. I had just taken my grand daughter (1.5 yrs old back in Jun 08) to Disneyland along with other family members. As we were leaving DL at the end of the night, the usual late night fireworks came on over the Castle!! The views were awesome and I took my Digital Rebel XT and shot several shots!! I hand held my camera and and shot in the manual mode at about 1/30 sec exposure time or something like that. Too long ago to remember!! LOL!! So that was it, just a target of opportunity!! And some lucky shooting!! :-) I have more if you wish to see them from that night. Just let me know. And once again, thanks for picking my pic!!

Alfredo
Member Since: 9 novembre 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 0
19. RevMac 22:44 GMT le 28 juin 2009    
June flew by for us and we're headed to Oregon for a week plus so I'm not sure how much WU time I'll have for awhile.

I'm sure the great pics will just keep coming so I'll look forward to catching up. As for this June blog, thanks Sharrose, charlesimages and selflagamma for stopping in.

And thanks to our June photogs for adding their stories. The Rev had that great experience of shooting a shot and discovering later that he had struck lightning gold.

silvyr found the pot of gold at the end of two rainbows just taking in the view from her new home.

live4storms is the first add from this past month with his epic supercell shot. You timed that storm chase well and we're glad you captured this incredible shot.

Alfredo makes us smile with his "happiest place on earth" shot.

Check back in mid-July for the June wrap up. And the best of June won't be far behind. Like my friend said, "live each day to the full".
Each one is a gift.

Mitch

Member Since: 28 août 2007 Posts: 17 Comments: 62
20. Feather3 23:17 GMT le 28 juin 2009    
If you're going to Oregon you HAVE TO STOP THROUGH HERE! I will contact you privately for how to connect with me.
Member Since: 12 décembre 2003 Posts: 72 Comments: 2923
21. vagabond2k6 20:46 GMT le 06 juillet 2009    
Hi Mitch

Thanks a mil for including 'Ripples in Streedagh Beach' in the Best of WU.

As a foreigner from the Far East based in Dublin Ireland, me and my family really love to explore the Ireland countryside. Long weekend means pack, drive and go for the whole family. This photo was taken in Streedagh Beach when we took my visiting cousin out for a city escape tour. Streedagh Beach is in County Sligo in West Coast of Ireland. We stopped in this beach to stretch a bit after three hours driving from Dublin. I spotted the idle boat that was lying on the sunkissed rippled sand and the next thing I knew doing was clicking my camera. It turned out great because of the color contrast of the sunkissed sand, boat, water, sky, clouds and a bit of greenery on the farther side. I got loads of inspiring comments for this shot and being a new member of WU I felt honored to be included here.

Thanks everyone and have a great day.
Member Since: 4 avril 2009 Posts: 0 Comments: 0
22. idzrvit 06:06 GMT le 07 juillet 2009    
A few more beautiful additions Mitch! Beautiful shots everyone!

Have a great day!

Shane
Member Since: 17 Mars 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 895
23. TAP 16:51 GMT le 07 juillet 2009    
Hi Mitch -

Thank you for including my squirrel photo in your "Best of June" blog and taking the time to let me know. I am honored that my photo is here among images from some of the best photographers on this site. This is most likely the only AC I'll ever get so I'm reveling in the moment! LOL We have squirrels close to the house in our backyard at all times because they love to raid the birdfeeder and the seeds that fall underneath it. I went home on my lunch hour and saw this youngster on our patio trying to keep cool in the hot, humid weather and grabbed my camera to get this shot through the window by the patio door. The squirrels are so used to us being close so, although it was looking right at me, it stayed right there for a while until it finally climbed the tree and sprawled out on a limb. We've seen our squirrels lay like this before on hot days but I was never able to capture the moment quite like this. This was one of those spur of the moment, unexpected shots that turned out to be unsually good! Since the public comments are not my style, I was tickled that so many people took the time to write me on my personal e-mail about this photo. Thanks again and enjoy the rest of your summer.

Trina
Member Since: 22 avril 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 0
25. trigirl 18:43 GMT le 29 août 2009    
Thought I would throw my 2-cents into the ring about my own photo! Sorry my comment is so delayed but I just discovered my Inbox!
My photo is ScenicOverlook and I found out that these are Mennonite (sp?) women from Indiana that were on a Smoky Mountain tour together. They had just stepped out of their tour vehicle at Newfound Gap as we were readying for our hike up to LeConte when my brother's eyes widened and he said, Wow, you don't see that everyday! I turned around to see what he was referring to, and I almost gasped. I grabbed for my camera IMMEDIATELY which was luckily right in my pocket as usual. I was able to capture just two photos before some of the ladies began to step back down off of the overlook wall. I feel that this is one of the best photos that I have ever taken, and it is by far the one most-voted-on in my series of photos on WunderPhoto. I am most proud of it, I was very lucky, but yes, I was ready when the moment arrived! Thanks for posting it on your awesome site!!!
Trigirl Debra
Member Since: 1 avril 2009 Posts: 3 Comments: 1356

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