It was promising to be a lovely afternoon and evening over our home in Northeast Wales one Tuesday in late November 2023.
So in anticipation of filming beautiful skies over the Vale of Clwyd as the sun sank towards the western horizon, my wife Liz and I bundled ourselves into the car and set off for the fifteen minute drive that would take us to Moel Famau, the highest peak in the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with spectacular views out over the Vale of Clwyd and beyond.
Well, as we crested the rise on the western face of Moel Famau the sight which greeted us was very different to that which we were expecting.
The Vale of Clwyd acts as a weather funnel, channeling moisture laden air from the Irish Sea between the high ground of the Clwydians to the east, and Snowdonia to the west.
And that funnel was in full force as rain storms barreled southwards along the valley, dramatically lit with a diffuse glow from the setting sun.
Wow! Was all I could say as we marched part of the way up Moel Famau to get a better view of the unfolding drama below us and, of course, to pick a good spot to record this time lapse video of the event.
As I was filming the band of rain got closer and closer to us, eventually putting a stop to my efforts as large raindrops started hitting the face of my ND grad filter.
And then it was a dirty dive back to the car as the rain grew more intense, but it was well worth getting wet to witness and film such a majestic weather event.
I wonder what we'll see next time in this wonderful and weatherbeaten part of God's creation!
Filename - vale of clwyd rain timelapse 01
Camera - Canon EOS 6DMK2
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 55mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 1/40 sec @ f/4, ISO100
Exposure (end of sequence) - 1/40 sec @ f/4, ISO100
Filters - 2 stop neutral density graduated filter used to reduce the brightness of the sky relative to the land.
Music - Bach Cello Suite No. 1, G Major, Prelude - Cooper Cannell
Shooting interval - 2 seconds
Location - Vale of Clwyd, North Wales
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K and HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 19 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2023 unless otherwise stated.