Kevin Palmer

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  • A severe thunderstorm approaches the farmland near Edgington, Illinois. This storm brought strong winds, large hail, and frequent lightning as it marched across Iowa and crossed the Mississippi River a few miles away.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 12, 2014
    Edgington Squall
  • A shelf cloud quickly approaches over a corn field near Lincoln, Illinois. It was fascinating watching the rapid motion of the leading edge as it got closer.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 25, 2013
    Rapid Motion
  • An ominous looking shelf cloud approaches an old abandoned house near McLean, Illinois.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 21, 2014
    Approaching Shelf Panorama
  • The dramatic walls of the Lost Twin Lakes stand tall above this alpine meadow.
    Approaching the Cirque
  • On my last morning at the Grand Canyon, I went to Mohave Point to shoot the sunrise. But there wasn't much color, since snow showers were moving in.
    Approaching Snow Showers
  • Five horses flee ahead of an approaching Montana storm.
    Five Fleeing Horses
  • Yuccas only bloom for a few weeks so I felt lucky to come across these ones in Goshen County, Wyoming, before an approaching storm.
    Yuccas In the Rain
  • This severe thunderstorm rolled into northern Wyoming from Montana after 8PM. This north-facing railroad track was the perfect place to shoot a time lapse of it approaching. The NWS warned of winds up to 70 mph as the gust front passed over.
    Off The Rails
  • As I was approaching the saddle just south of the Coyote Mountain summit, I started hearing a loud thud sound. There were only two things I could think of that would make that sound: either a rockfall or bighorn sheep. Sure enough as I came over the hill I saw this herd of 9 in a grassy area staring at me. I never actually saw them ramming their horns together, but only heard them. They soon took off running.
    Bighorn Stampede
  • While camping at Garden of the Gods, I watched a storm roll through at 8am. I would have liked to make a time lapse but the storm was just approaching too slowly. A proper shelf cloud never formed, it was mostly dark scud clouds that drifted across the sky. Once the rain started falling, and the lightning started striking nearby, I quickly made it back to my car where I waited out the storm.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Garden of Gods Storm
  • I wasn't expecting to see such a scene on this day, since the storm chances were low. But once I heard the thunder rumbling at 11am, I quickly left the house. After driving southeast I let the storm overtake me near the town of Kenney, and shot this panorama shortly before it started raining.  This time of year the corn is often 8 feet tall which restricts the view of approaching storms. I have to look for somewhere else to shoot such as this field of soybeans.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 14, 2014
    Kenney Thunderstorm
  • Anytime I’m out storm chasing, I love finding some old structure such as a church, barn or abandoned house. Buildings that have weathered many storms, bare the scars, but still stand. This little white church I came across outside of Wolf Point, Montana. A shelf cloud was closing in from the west. It seemed to be approaching rapidly, but at the same time in slow motion. The storm stalled out over town. Excessive rainfall brought street flooding and left drifts of dirty hail on the highway. As it got closer the sky turned green, reflecting the suspended hailstones above. When the gust front finally arrived, it turned brown as winds picked up dust from the surrounding fields. A wind gust of 86mph was reported.
    Prevailing Church
  • A moose mother and calf graze on a snowy morning while the sun struggles to emerge ahead of an approaching storm. I saw this same pair the day before but wasn't able to get any good shots, so I came back the next morning. This time they were a lot closer, and crossed the highway right in front of me. The deep snow hides their true height. When the mother stood up on the road I found myself staring at a creature taller than myself. The calf is a male, which is apparent from the antler stumps above his eyes. Moose will eat up to 60 pounds of food a day, although it's a lot harder for them in the winter. Just before the snow started coming down heavier, I was able to position myself to capture the sunrise glow above their heads. Wildlife is said to be more active during bad weather, and that was certainly true on this morning. Before leaving Grand Teton National Park I had spotted 8 moose, countless elk and bison, and even a lone wolf.
    Moose at Sunrise
  • A severe thunderstorm quickly approaches over a farm field. The red color underneath is from dust kicked up by the 60+ mph winds. The storm also brought large hail, heavy rain, and lots of lightning.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 19, 2013
    Approach of a Monster
  • Outside of Bill, Wyoming, sits a lone windmill on the prairie. It was the perfect foreground for watching a photogenic supercell approach at sunset.
    The Wind and the Windmill
  • On the empty Wyoming prairie near the town of Bill, I watched this cell slowly approach. It went through cycles, weakening and strengthening before sunlight emerged through the rain and hail. Downdraft winds blew precipitation outward near the ground to form a rain foot. With everything bathed in a golden glow, the sky became a painting. It was an unusual perspective, being able to see the entire updraft towering 9 miles high from so close. Only my widest lens would do. Keeping up with the storm was no longer an option as there were no viable roads headed east. But I was content to just sit there and watch it go.
    Upward Updraft
  • Near Savageton, I watched this photogenic supercell approached over the Powder River Basin. The Pumpkin Buttes soon vanished into the rain.
    Between Pumpkin Buttes
  • You can feel the remoteness out here. For miles around, there is not a tree in sight, only sagebrush. Water is scarce in this high-elevation cold desert. The sparkling mountains that seem so close on every horizon are actually some distance away. But the horses love this place, where they have 120,000 acres to themselves. Numbering about 180, the McCullough Peaks Mustangs are 1 of 2 wild horse herds living in northern Wyoming. There is a certain amount of luck involved in getting to see them up close, especially during winter. The first spot where I’ve seen them in the past was empty. After locating the first band, a large drift over the road prevented me from getting any closer. If it’s not snow making the two-tracks impassable, it’s often mud. But after continuing on, I finally found this band of 30 horses and was able to approach them. This cream-colored horse was my favorite because of the way its coat shimmered in the bright sunlight.
    Between Drifts
  • Early in the morning a very active lightning storm passed by north of Peoria. An overlook on Grandview Drive was the perfect place to watch it approach. The overlook sits on a bluff 300 feet above the Illinois River. This is the part of the river where it widens and forms Peoria Lake. It was raining heavily with plenty of lightning bolts striking on the opposite side of the river. But from where I was it stayed dry enough to take over 400 pictures.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/3/2014
    Strike Three
  • Among the forests at the rim of the Grand Canyon lives a large population of elk. They have lost their natural fear of humans, and will often approach at close range. This can lead to dangerous encounters especially during rutting season in the fall or when there are calves to protect. Late one morning this elk wandered through my campsite looking for food. I saw her rise up on her hind legs to get to the hard to reach parts of the juniper trees. Her balance was impressive and when she did it a second time I was ready with my camera. The average elk cow weighs 500 pounds and consumes at least 15 pounds of food per day.
    Standing Elk
  • An old barn sits in the middle of a corn field outside of Eureka, Illinois, while stormy skies approach.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 28, 2014
    Tunnel Barn
  • In December of 2018 Comet 46P/Wirtanen flew by the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus. Also known as the Seven Sisters, this star cluster is one of the closest to Earth at a distance of about 444 light years away. The extra hot and luminous stars cast their light on the nearby reflection nebula, which gives it the blue color. Comet 46P/Wirtanen was at it's closest approach just 7.2 million miles (11.5 million km) away from Earth. This makes it one of the top 10 closest comet encounters of the Space Age. While they look the same size in this image, the comet is quite a bit fainter, just barely detectable to the naked eye. The nucleus of the comet is less than 1 mile wide, but it's diffuse coma (cometary atmosphere) is larger than the planet Jupiter.
    The Flyby
  • I've been wanting to get an image like this for a long time. But it's been several years since we've had a comet this bright. This comet named 46P/Wirtanen was discovered in 1948 and will make it's closest approach to Earth next week. I had my doubts that this picture would happen. The comet would only be positioned above this snowy mountain for 3 nights at most. Even rarer than a clear night in December, I needed a night with no wind. But at 2AM on December 7th, everything came together. The temperature hovered around 0°F; it was a frosty nostril kind of night. When I first arrived in the Bighorn Mountains the comet was just visible to the naked eye, but the best view was through binoculars. In my pictures, it's about 2-3X the angular size of the moon. To make this image I captured a series of 6 shots using a star tracking mount. I had to be careful to align everything as accurately as possible while processing.
    Comet and Mountain
  • A moose calf crosses Highway 14A while cars approach.
    Following Calf
  • A shelf cloud approaches a grassy field near Mackinaw, Illinois. This storm hit a half an hour before sunset. It actually became so dark that fireflies started to come out.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 8/28/2014
    Mackinaw Storm
  • A rain squall approaches Peoria, Illinois. The heavy rain was close, but it never actually fell where I was shooting from. The top of a bluff in East Peoria provided a perfect view to the west of this storm.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 18, 2014
    Peoria Rain Squall
  • A severe thunderstorm approaches over a corn field near Morton, Illinois. A shelf cloud can be seen on the lower left and the anvil extends to the top right.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 23, 2013
    Morton Thunderhead
  • I found myself camping in Eastern Montana after a day of chasing storms. As darkness fell, little green flickers of light started to emerge. At first I thought I was just seeing things. Normally fireflies are only found in the more wet and humid climates of the Midwest and Eastern US. I’ve previously photographed them in Illinois and Iowa. But the weather this year has been anything but normal on the Northern Plains. Excessive rainfall nearly every day over the last month has evidently caused fireflies (also called lightning bugs) to appear farther west than usual. As another round of thunderstorms approached they started to glow even more before wind shut them down for the night. The Tongue River near Miles City was running high and fast. In fact the water rose several inches while I was shooting this, lapping at my tripod. This is a composite image showing 30 minutes of firefly activity, combined with a single image of the lightning and stars.
    Montana Fireflies
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe. The lights of Sheridan and Big Horn faded into the rain, which barely touched the mountains where I stood. This is a stack of images captured over about 20 minutes.
    Moncreiffe Ridge Lightning
  • A supercell lurked in the darkness. Every few seconds a flash would illuminate the thundercloud and show a silhouette of the sharp spires of the Badlands. This was the 4th storm I watched this evening. Rumbles of thunder slowly grew louder as yet another storm approached from the west and threatened to block the view of this one. Badlands National Park is one of my favorite places to capture storms. Even when they’re 100 miles away, the views here are excellent. And distant storms are preferred when I’m camping. The Badlands are very exposed to the elements. There is no escaping the rain, wind, and mud. An earlier downpour soaked me to the skin but the wind that followed dried me in minutes. The mud is the type that cakes to the bottom of your shoes making every footstep heavier. But a few hours in the hot sun and the mud is baked dry. At the time of this picture tennis-ball sized hail was reported in the Pine Ridge Reservation to the south. The lights are from the metropolis of Interior, population 94. The lightning was mostly cloud-to-cloud; this was the only strike I captured out of 500 shots.
    Strike Beyond Interior
  • The deep blue colors of twilight overtake the sky as dawn approaches at Beartooth Lake.
    Beartooth Twilight
  • In mid-August I photographed the annual Perseid meteor shower. But this was no ordinary year, as there were twice as many meteors as normal. Beartooth Lake, at almost 9,000 feet in the Beartooth Mountains was the perfect place to watch from. I was worried about the weather, with thick clouds at sunset and a wildfire only 7 miles away. But it ended up being a beautiful night. The show got started at 1AM when the moon set, leaving the sky completely dark. While listening to every little sound around me (this is grizzly bear country) I counted 250 meteors in 4 hours. This was one of 93 that my camera captured over  Beartooth Butte. The radiant (Perseus) was to the upper right outside of the frame. As dawn approached, fog swirled around the glassy surface of the lake. Hand warmers strapped to my lens prevented the glass from fogging up. I don't know how cold it was, but I do know my water bottle froze and I was snowed on at the pass earlier in the evening.
    Green to Red
  • A Geminid meteor streaks across the sky above Picnic Key in Everglades National Park, Florida. The star Canopus is reflected on the water with the brightest star Sirius in the middle of the picture and the constellation Orion above. My flashlight lighting up the trees was actually unintentional. When a raccoon approached me I instinctively shined a light in its direction. The raccoons here are very bold because they have no source of freshwater and attempt to steal from campers.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/13/2014
    Make a Wish
  • An impressive looking shelf cloud approaches north of Peoria. I was in the perfect location to watch this storm. Heavy rain fell on the other side of the Illinois River but it stayed dry where I was.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/9/2014
    Grandview Drive
  • A rain squall approaches Peoria, Illinois. The heavy rain was close, but it never actually fell where I was shooting from. The top of a bluff in East Peoria provided a perfect view to the west of this storm.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 18, 2014
    Distant Rain
  • When I reached this overlook in the Bighorn Mountains, one thunderstorm was moving off to the east, while another approached from the north. This is the eastern storm, dumping rain over the lights of Sheridan.
    Raining On Sheridan
  • A weakening storm approached the west side of the Bighorn Mountains. The sun came out and this double rainbow appeared. It was so vivid it felt like I could reach out and touch it. At first it was almost a complete circle. I rushed to capture a time lapse and had to keep wiping the raindrops off my lens. I got quite wet as a result, but it was worth it.<br />
<br />
A double rainbow is caused by light reflecting a second time within raindrops. The secondary rainbow is located 8° apart from the primary bow, and is almost double the width. The colors are fainter, and in reverse order (VIBGYOR instead of ROYGBIV.) In between the two rainbows is a darkened part of the sky called Alexander’s Band. The sunlight is always brightest in the center of a rainbow at the anti-solar point. But since this bright light is also reflected opposite the secondary rainbow, that leaves a dark band in between.
    Seeing Double
  • This severe thunderstorm rolled out of the Black Hills and approached Bear Butte Lake near Sturgis.
    Sturgis Storm
  • A shelf cloud approaches a field of soybeans near Delavan, IL. The late evening light made the clouds a cool blue while the lightning caused a warm glow.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 19, 2014
    Dark Blue
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe.
    Mountain Lightning
  • A rain shower approaches the west side of the Bighorn Mountains while glowing gold before sunset.
    Evening Mountain Rain
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe. The lights of Sheridan and Big Horn faded into the rain, which barely touched the mountains where I stood. This is a stack of images captured over about 18 minutes.
    Sheridan Lightning
  • After hitting the trail at sunrise I made it to the top of Laramie Peak shortly before 9AM and setup my gear. The true summit is littered with towers and communication equipment, so instead I pointed my camera at this subpeak to the south. The weather was perfect and the thick smoke from Montana wildfires that I was worried about stayed to the north. At 10:23 the partial eclipse began, visible only through a solar filter. Anticipation started to build as more of the sun became blocked out. After over 50% of the sun was covered the light became slightly dimmer but it was only noticeable if you've been watching the whole time. The temperature dropped by over 20°F and jackets came out. At 90% the sky became a dark blue and the landscape took on a smoky appearance. At this point the light began to change by the second. The moon moves from west to east, and the shadow approaches at 1700mph from that direction. At 11:45 the last piece of sun disappeared. Some of my favorite effects of totality were the parts I couldn't capture. Cirrus clouds in the west glowed orange like at sunset. It was similar to twilight but instead of the glow appearing in only one direction, it encircled the entire horizon. Venus came out first, then the other planets and brighter stars. It's a very strange feeling looking at the sun in what's normally the brightest part of the day and instead seeing a black hole. The ~100 people around me marveled at one of the most beautiful spectacles in nature. But just like that it was all over. The full disc of the sun returned at 1:11PM.
    Fleeting Moment
  • In mid-August I photographed the annual Perseid meteor shower. But this was no ordinary year, as there were twice as many meteors as normal. Beartooth Lake, at almost 9,000 feet in the Beartooth Mountains was the perfect place to watch from. I was worried about the weather, with thick clouds at sunset and a wildfire only 7 miles away. But it ended up being a beautiful night. The show got started at 1AM when the moon set, leaving the sky completely dark. While listening to every little sound around me (this is grizzly bear country) I counted 250 meteors in 4 hours. With my camera pointed northwest at Beartooth Butte, I captured 93 of them. I combined them all into this composite image. The radiant (Perseus) was to the upper right outside of the frame. As dawn approached, fog swirled around the glassy surface of the lake. Hand warmers strapped to my lens prevented the glass from fogging up. I don't know how cold it was, but I do know my water bottle froze and I was snowed on at the pass earlier in the evening.
    Night of the Falling Stars
  • This unnamed creek flowed right past my campsite at 10,000 feet in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. Golden sunlight filled the valley before a thunderstorm approached.
    Bomber Mountain Creek
  • At the end of April, I went out to photograph severe storms to the northwest of my town. I found myself in the area of Snakeden Hollow State Park, a place that I've always wanted to check out. So I went into the park and waited as the severe squall line approached. Seconds after this was taken, heavy rain and hail started falling along with strong winds and lightning.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: April 28, 2014
    Snakeden Gale
  • As the storm clouds approached, the outflow winds provided a cool breeze that felt nice on a hot day. This view is from the top of a bluff in East Peoria.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 18, 2014
    Cool Breeze
  • As an evening storm approached, the sun came out for just a moment over the Badlands National Park. After driving and trying to make it to this overlook, this was the only shot I took before it was gone.
    Moment of Light
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe. The lights of Sheridan and Big Horn faded into the rain, which barely touched the mountains where I stood.
    Sheridan Lightning
  • While snowshoeing in the Tetons I ended up following a trail that wasn't on the map, but it seemed more obvious than the main trail. As I approached the Taggart Lake Trailhead I was glad I was going down this steep hill and not up.
    Uphill Trudge
  • Two horses graze on a ranch in rural Montana. Crepuscular Rays were shining in the background as it approached sunset. The sneaky horse on the left kept trying to steal food from my backpack when I wasn't looking. He left slobber all over my bag but at least they gave a good pose for this one picture.
    Montana Horse Ranch
  • After chasing this storm past Morton, Illinois, I took this picture north of town. The mammatus clouds were boiling overhead as the shelf cloud quickly approached. I saw a couple cloud to ground lightning bolts come out of the shelf cloud. But despite how threatening it looked, the storm died out shortly after I took this picture. It was nice while it lasted.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 23, 2013
    Dark Shelf