Stormy

I wasn't going to enter as I don't do much in the way of landscapes. I do predominantly abstract, off the beaten path stuff. But since we are interpreting "stormy" VERY loosely based on the pool of submissions, I decided to zero in on the phrase in the description "an extreme weather event". When I do my ink work, I need very still water. However, the lamps heat up the water as the shoot goes on and after a while, I start getting upwellings and other movement in the tank - in essence: weather events. Sometimes, as in this image, they really get churning so I am submitting this image as an "extreme weather event .... in my studio tank"!

As a little background for the image, this is water-soluble suminagashi ink in water. I use this ink because of the very reason these images sometimes get constructive criticism about focus. That is that the ink is dissolving rapidly into the water and therefore has a soft, ephemeral and surreal look. The set up is extensive. The water is mixed with a thickening agent and left to sit for a while to allow all bubbles to dissipate. Lighting is crucial and I have at least 3 hot lights going on these brighter versions. Focus is established prior to any ink being dropped because I want to capture that first entry "mushroom" shape. The inks are dropped in at different rates and through an oil barrier which provides some control. Then I flip the final image to be 'trees'.