"Purple Storm I" - How I got the shot

Background

As I write this blog post, most Dominican residents would have heard about Tropical Storm Dorian and done some preparation. Preparation usually means collecting water and buying supplies (dry goods, batteries, etc.). Also, most folks would be in bed, but ‘night owls’ such as myself are awake, waiting for the 11:00pm weather update from the meteorology office.

Earlier today, the preparation rituals for Dorian (the first named storm to come our way for 2019) reminded me of a similar situation that occurred almost two years ago.⁠

Hurricane Irma was barreling down on Eastern Caribbean islands, much like Dorian is doing now. Although it was not forecast to hit Dominica, we were anxious and fearful for our brothers and sisters in the neighboring islands (particularly those to the north).⁠
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Tonight, many of us harbor the same anxiety and hope that our friends and family remain safe during this storm where ever they may be.

The image Purple Storm was captured on Sept 4, 2017, the evening before Hurricane Irma developed into a Category 5 storm. By the next day it had graduated to the feared Cat 5 status and caused serious damage to several islands included Barbuda, parts of the USVI and Puerto Rico. Irma streaked across the northern Caribbean and eventually made landfall in Florida five days later as a Cat 4. ⁠

The vision

This image was all about the light. It was the light that caught my attention and caused me to stop as I drove past Ma Boyd’s restaurant. The sun had already set and it was relatively dark (not to mention, it was raining), but there was a strong purple hue in the sky and reflected on the ocean.

Getting the shot

I built the image around that color and made sure to a long exposure technique, to give the sea a sense of the motion so that viewers can appreciate the fact that a powerful hurricane was nearby.

© 2017 Yuri A Jones | Purple Storm, captured in Roseau, Dominica (available as a canvas print here.)