Kris Dutson, Amateur Weatherman Snaps Stunning Pics

March 14, 2011 4:13 PM

Amateur Weatherman Snaps Stunning Pictures. Kris Dutson, 53, has spent ten years scouting out the ideal locations across Britain to capture the most astonishing atmospheric shots on his camera as rain falls. Via The Presurfer.

Same pics - different sizes- on a Russian site. Kris Dutson pics on a photography site and on another.

posted by nickyskye (28 comments total)

If clicks mean anything give 'em to any but the first link.
Stunning pics of locations - some of which I know well, they are great momentos,

thanks nicky.
posted by dash_slot- at 4:20 PM on March 14, 2011

Wow, from someone that has done some so-so landscape photos, this guy looks like an expert at waiting around, because being in the right place at the right time just after a storm when the sun pokes out leads to the very best photos but those opportunities are very rare and require truckloads of patience.

Stunningly good shots in all the links I followed.
posted by mathowie at 4:27 PM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

While these are nice pics, it seems weird to describe Dutson as an "amateur weatherman," when he describes himself as an "award winning professional with over thirty years experience as a photographer," who "specialise[s] in atmospheric landscapes."
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:28 PM on March 14, 2011 [7 favorites]

Also, not to take away from some excellent shots but some of them (e.g. moon in valley) are Photoshop composites, as he notes in the ePhotoZine site.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 4:34 PM on March 14, 2011 [4 favorites]

Woooooaaaaah
posted by Threeway Handshake at 4:38 PM on March 14, 2011

Number 8 on the Russian site looks post processed to hell. It's hard to image any bodies of water around Great Britain looking that color.
posted by triceryclops at 4:39 PM on March 14, 2011

These are pretty freaking incredible, 'shopped or not. wow.
posted by bayani at 4:42 PM on March 14, 2011

I love this. try also this site for super crazy dramatic weather photos.
posted by cometwendy at 4:43 PM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's hard to image any bodies of water around Great Britain looking that color

?
posted by fire&wings at 4:43 PM on March 14, 2011 [6 favorites]

Guess I just needed to see something more serene about the weather today and thought others might too.

Thanks for the link to Kris Dutson's own website monju_bosatso, am impressed with your wonderful google fu.
posted by nickyskye at 4:46 PM on March 14, 2011

?

just stunning. i stand corrected.
posted by triceryclops at 4:54 PM on March 14, 2011

Gorgeous, whether shopped or not.
posted by OolooKitty at 4:55 PM on March 14, 2011

some of them (e.g. moon in valley) are Photoshop composites

Yeah, there's a whole lot of 'shopping going on here. There's a whole lot of graduated neutral density filterin' (gndf!) as well.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:26 PM on March 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

That doesn't look like the world my eyes show me.
posted by davebush at 5:42 PM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Nice, but there should be some kind of new ebaum type warning for links to the Daily Mail site, for those of us who don't want to pour more hits into their reactionary coffers.

(their website just links to everything they can find so they get more hits than any other paper, the horrible, right wing shits)
posted by ciderwoman at 5:56 PM on March 14, 2011 [4 favorites]

It's hard to image any bodies of water around Great Britain looking that color.
posted by triceryclops at 12:39 AM on March 15

I'm guessing you haven't travelled around the British coastline that much. :-)
posted by Decani at 6:17 PM on March 14, 2011

Amateur internet sociologist photographs native british fauna in all their magnificence
posted by lalochezia at 6:23 PM on March 14, 2011

Am I the only one who first read that with a comma after "snaps"?
posted by gottabefunky at 6:29 PM on March 14, 2011

I guess I'm neurotic about this, but seeing a collection of photos cropped to different aspect ratios kinda bugs me. At least, it takes my attention away from the photos and makes me think about how they were manipulated in post. They are very cool photos, though.
posted by snofoam at 6:39 PM on March 14, 2011

...has spent ten years scouting out the ideal locations across Britain to capture the most astonishing atmospheric shots...

And they're all in Dorset. Never would have guessed that.
Nice pics, though.
posted by rocket88 at 6:44 PM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Having lived away from the UK for well over a decade now, in a continental climate, I do miss the ever-changing clouds and rain, so these are climatic catnip to me. Thanks nicky.
posted by Abiezer at 7:02 PM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Good, but... They just look unnatural. There is so much photoshoppery there's nothing reallythere that moves or excites. Once you get past the initial impact, there's nothing there, no atmosphere, no sense of place. It's sterile work from a technician, not a poet or artist.

My favourite landscape photographer is Gordon Stainforth, whose images - all on film, not digital, capture an essense of a scene, making you look afresh at scense I already know well.
posted by quarsan at 11:40 PM on March 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Nitpick - Neither Calder Iris nor W. Sussex is in Dorset.
Thanks nickyskye.
posted by adamvasco at 1:43 AM on March 15, 2011

I find the photos beautiful, and that's what matters. Something to aspire to. Yes, some of the post processing looks excessive. But I'm never sure exactly when something unreal is more beautiful, and perfectly legitimate. The HDR sometimes seems to be suggestive of the visions of Tolkien. What's wrong with that?
posted by Goofyy at 1:45 AM on March 15, 2011

The patience to take these is amazing, just think of the number of times to slosh out to a selected spot hoping that it will all come right, only to be confronted by more grey and drizzle.
Andrew Deer and Jon Watson are two other fine photographers who love the world heritage site that is the Jurassic Coast.
posted by adamvasco at 2:26 AM on March 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah, there's a whole lot of 'shopping going on here.

Heavens, you mean they're almost as processed as an Ansel Adams?
posted by rodgerd at 3:07 AM on March 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

they're cool but where the hell is Matt?
posted by dracomarca at 5:51 PM on March 15, 2011

Well, you did it again. I'd like to stick some of these pictures inside my glasses. Thanks !
posted by nicolin at 8:19 AM on March 17, 2011