Dust Devils by Bob Butterfield

Sunday, 16th August 2009

Dust Devils

by Bob Butterfield

I was driving across the dry hot eastern Washington in early June and saw in a distance this, what I assume, is a very large set of dust devils. I tried to find a place where the phone poles were not in the way, but now I see they are useful for scale. It lasted only a few minutes so I was lucky to find a place to pull over and get a few quick shots.

Equipment: Nikon D300, 24-70mm, f2.8

Bob Butterfield

Bob Butterfield is a natural resource photographer who lives in northwest Washington.

Website

19 Comments

Alice DeFriez Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 1:51 am
wow! I love capturing weather shots! Nice!
Pauline Jones Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Very cool, the only dust devils I have ever seen were no more than three feet high.
SPAIN Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 9:50 am
very nice!!!
Su Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Great capture.
Katherine Lee Strassburg Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I’ve gigantic dust devils out west, but I have never seen them emanating from clouds. Are you sure these weren’t small tornadoes? You might want to check the National Weather Service archives. Either way, it’s a fascinating photo. Weather is one of the few natural forces we can actually see, yet not control. Very nice potd.
Rajib Singha Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
A very unusual shot well captured Bob.
planet lover Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
How very interesting… That cloud looks menacing!
Ellen Empson Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I especially like the way the one on the right is slanted; how it gives you the “mind’s eye” movement that you see so often with these on film. Great catch!!!!!!
Lisa Atkins Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Nice shot. I agree with Katherine. They look more like tornadoes. I live in the Southwestern United States where dust devils are common. I, too have never seen them emanating from clouds. And, that cloud looks like a tornado producer.
Kirk Jordan Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
For something so uncontrollable, you couldn’t have asked for a better fit with the phone poles. And you are so right, If you remove the poles, all scale disappears.
Marie Dunphy Harding Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Great shot of our unpredictable Earth.
Leslie Parsley Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I’ve driven through Kansas – as fast as possible -and seen banks of clouds just like this but tornados don’t have those hollow looking spouts. They’re thicker, more “twisty” and often more slanted rather than being so straight. A fantastic shot.
Mandy Kilpatrick Says:
August 16th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
What a great phenomenon of nature captured so exquisitely!! I am in Montana and have never seen anything like this. Thanks for posting and
sharing!!
Laurie Says:
August 17th, 2009 at 4:02 am
Astounding! Whatever they are, I wouldn’t want to be caught in one of them!
Anurag Says:
August 17th, 2009 at 8:49 am
In the right place at the right time!!
Renee Says:
August 17th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Wow that looks very SCARY! but excellent shot!
mike Says:
August 17th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Very cool. Never seen those here in New York.
sue gagnon Says:
August 25th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Dust Devils my-oh-my, Toto, we’re far from home, but this is simply one Scary-Kewl shot!
Md. Ziaul Hoque Says:
September 14th, 2009 at 9:53 am
This is insane. Something for life to experience! Bravo!