Spring Mountains Time Lapse 2

The Spring Mountains Time Lapse 2 video features summer season monsoon storm clouds and a few night sky scenes filmed on the western slopes of the Spring Mountains in southern Nevada. The filming sites were near the mile high elevations, just above the smog and dust level. As can be seen, the 11,900 foot tall Mt Charleston peak influences the flow of passing clouds and the surrounding mountains have a unique micro climate weather system of their own. Views of the Pahrump Valley are also featured and there is a sunset clip that shows the night lights of the city turning on. 

Pahrump is the gateway to Death Valley National Park and it is the closest place to stock up on supplies or services. The Death Valley tourism industry usually is fairy steady in this city through the summer, no matter how high the temperatures are in Death Valley. Unfortunately, the 2023 summer monsoon season brought heavy downpours that resulted in catastrophic flash flood damage throughout this region. Las Vegas on the other side of the mountains also suffered extensive damage. The roads on Mt Charleston were wiped out and Death Valley suffered so much damage that the park had to close for an extended time. Lives and property were tragically lost during these extreme weather events, which are not something to take lightly. 

It goes without saying that it is best to heed the weather service flash flood warnings and shelter in a safe place. When doing time lapse photography during the monsoon season in this region, it is best to select a spot that will be high and dry, because you will likely be there for several hours. Keeping an eye on the sky and monitoring weather radar is a good measure for knowing when to get out of a possible danger area. Taking chances may result in the mountain roads getting washed away and there will be no way to return home in a timely manner. For this reason, when it is time to leave, get up and go!   

Many of the storms pictured in the monsoon season series contributed to the regional flash flood events. Monsoon season clouds are intriguing to view, simply because multiple layers of clouds are moving in completely different directions at various altitudes in some instances. The high elevation mountain effect on the clouds also comes into play, where updrafts, down drafts and wind sheer causes interesting anomalies, like lenticular cloud formations and rapidly rising thunderheads. The steady moving overcast is also quite moody during the monsoon season and these skies can impart ethereal sensations when viewed as time lapse video. This especially true when filmed at night.

There are a few night sky scenes in this video that are worth looking at, simply because the annual Leonid Meteor Shower was strong in this region during the monsoon season. Several thin brief meteor streaks can be seen in the clear night sky scenes. I used two cameras and often I pointed one in the direction of where meteors are spotted to capture a possible show. 

It is easy to differentiate the jet trails from the meteor streaks in most cases and the satellites too. The space station streaking across the sky was captured in a few clips during the monsoon season. This object can be mistaken for a cluster of meteors, but it moves through the sky at the same place and time on any given night. 

Just like a curse, the best meteors always fly overhead where the camera is not pointed. A few sizzling fireball meteors did this while filming time lapse night landscapes on location in the Spring Mountains. It truly is an odd experience because the sizzling and cracking sound of the meteor burning up in the atmosphere overhead is loud in the mile high elevations. Much more night sky action will be presented in the upcoming High Desert Time Lapse video, which is part of the 2023 monsoon series.

The soundtrack music for the time lapse videos are created with Apple software, simply to avoid copyright infringements. When making music with an app like Garage Band, it is best to think like a composer, while picturing the flow of the time lapse video in one's own mind. This way the music will naturally flow in conjunction with the video and it may lead to a few creative surprises. With time lapse, the goal is to set a musical mood that enables captivation, without hypnotically putting the audience to sleep. If your bag happens to be heavy electronic music with a dubstep beat and futuristic effects, then go for it! As can be heard, I like this fascinating style of music for clouds time lapse video!
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