In the Atacama Desert, it is very rare to witness rain, and according to guides here, this particular bout was the biggest in two years.
The Licancabur is one of the most iconic volcanoes around. Located between Chile and Bolivia, it really look like a child's drawing of a mountain come to life. When the clouds rolled in, however, the view got much more dramatic.
Canon 7D2, 70-300L.
First picture: f/5, 170mm, 1/40s, ISO 100.
Second picture : f/9, 146mm, 1/640s, ISO 100.
Nice shot - It rained when I went there too. So I am not sure how dry the driest desert in the world really is - the second shot is indeed amazing!
Tell us about the lighting on the first picture. Is the volcano redish in color? Very interesting to see the sun at the bottom and clouds at the top!
It is a combination of two elements.
First, we are in a desert and there was kind of a lot of wind that day. Dry as the desert is, it meant that there was a lot of sand particles in the sky, which give a much redder sunset.
Second, while the Licancabur itself was covered by clouds at the top, the sun itself was setting behind me, behind other clouds. When it managed to shine through these clouds it was late during the golden hour, and combined with the sand in the air, it gave this red light while the volcano itself isn't.
Great picture and really nice effect with the light and conditions! Thanks for sharing the details.