Perfect rainbow: Kris Dutson’s most recent photograph taken at North Poorton,
Dorset. Following heavy rain last month this brilliant rainbow formed.

Remarkable: Clouds pile up over a hilltop on a bright day at Colmers Hill, Bridport
in Dorset. The photographer spends hours researching the best locations to capture cloud pictures He carries meteorological charts and a sun compass with him and will patiently wait for clouds to break before capturing the perfect shot.

Kris, from Compton Valence, near Dorchester, Dorset, scours the countryside for the most beautiful and interesting scenes to shoot.

He sometimes waits for months on end before returning to a particular spot at the right time of year to catch these astonishing images.

One of his incredible photos shows a perfectly formed rainbow stretching across vivid green fields, glowing in front of a moody grey sky.

Another captures billowing white cumulus clouds rising imposingly behind the deep green peaks of Colmer‘s Hill, near Bridport, Dorset.

Storm clouds gather: Rain approaching the cliffs at Burton Bradstock in southwest Dorset. Patient Kris often waits for hours before taking a photograph.

Red sky at night: The sun sets over Colmer’ Hill in Bridport, Dorset with a covering
of cloud overhead. The beautiful glowing skyline was caused by the ash cloud which caused airline chaos.

Beauty spot: Stunning picture of Lulworth Cove on the Jurassic Coast at dusk
as rain clears. The site attracts one million visitors a year – but few see a sunset as beautiful as this.

Others show sinister grey clouds gathering above fields of barley, daisies and rape, while others capture the striking cloud formations above the Jurassic coastline. One striking image captures a full moon illuminating mist as it rolls over fields, and another shows a stunning panoramic view across Hardy country.

Father-of-four Kris, who has been a photographer for 30 years, said: ‘I must be one of the few people in the country hoping for rain.

‘I like a nice bright, sunny day to go to the beach, but when I hear people grumbling about the forecast I do rub my hands together with glee. My pictures are all based around the weather and the atmosphere it creates – it’s absolutely key. If it’s bright and sunny with blue skies, most people can take a nice picture but they’re quite bland. But the moody weather enhances the landscape and gives it a feeling. Dark clouds and patchy sunlight makes it atmospheric.’

Dark skies: Rain clouds gather over the Mynydd Moel mountain in the Cader Idris
range in north Wales. The top of the mountain is completely covered.

Beautiful darkness: Moonlit valleys in Compton Valence, Dorset. When most people
stay indoors weather nut Kris spends hours out and about waiting for the rain to clear or a break in the clouds to get the perfect shot.

Dramatic scenes: A rainbow at the Devils Dyke near Brighton, West Sussex.

Sunset after a storm on Pulpit Rock, Portland Bill in Dorset,

The white cliffs of… Sussex: A storm clearing from the Seven Sisters cliffs near Eastbourne on the English Coast. ‘I travel around Dorset a lot and whenever I come across a location I think might work for a picture I mark it on my sat nav.

‘I carry a sun compass, which looks like a credit card with marks around the side, which will tell me what time the sun rises and sets at each point throughout the year.

‘Sometimes I think a particular shot will work at dawn, but the sun might not be in the right place for the next six months, so I’ll make a note of it in my diary and come back.

‘I’ll check the weather forecast to see when there will be the right conditions, such as dark clouds in the sky. Sometimes the weather doesn’t play ball, so I’ll go back the following year.’

‘I can’t compromise or cut corners, so there’s a lot of planning and science behind each shot. I need to be very patient, but it’s worth it.’

‘Getting the right shot on the day can take anywhere between minutes and hours. ‘I’m very lucky.’

Home Counties: A storm brews over a field of barley in Wiltshire close to Sixpenny
Handley in a dramatic image caught by photographer Kris Dutson who has spent a decade capturing these images.

Daybreak: Dawn breaks over Portland Bill in Dorset in another image by the photographer on the South Coast.

Storm approaching: Rain clouds approach Chesil beach, Portland, in Dorset. Far left, the sky remains blue – but thick black clouds are coming in.

In-coming storm: Panoramic view of rain blowing in from the west across Eggardon Hill, close to Bridport, Dorset, taken by Kris Dutson.