I went out for sunset pictures with the sunflowers but it was windy and not so good but then this storm came in with lightning and made things so much more inte...
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I went out for sunset pictures with the sunflowers but it was windy and not so good but then this storm came in with lightning and made things so much more interesting!
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Top Shot Award 21
Contest Finalist in The Clouds And The Sunlight Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wicked Weather Photo Contest
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mavishageman
March 01, 2017
I like how the horizon divides both elements of sky and land so strongly.
Txpixelpixie
March 24, 2017
Incredible! So glad you stuck around so we can live vicariously through this capture!!
thunderlake
May 01, 2019
Incredible and dramatic weather with the sweetness of sunflowers...Congratulations!
Jason_Hayes
August 12, 2022
Thanks! It always seems to get a little better just after the sun goes down
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken a little east of Denver Colorado near the airport. There are fields of sunflowers and every August photographers search for just the right one.Time
This photo was shot just as the sun was going down. All the other photographers had left as it was starting to get dark but I stuck around to see what the fast moving storm would do hoping to get some nice lightning strikes.Lighting
The lighting for this is interesting because the sun was dipping below the horizon but it was still giving off a nice glow. It was also dark enough from the storm clouds to get some long exposures and pick up the lightning without over exposing the sunflowers.Equipment
This shot was taken with a Nikon D7000. The lens was most likely my Nikkor 18-300. I use a sturdy Manfrotto Tripod and Really Right Stuff ball head.Inspiration
I had seen many other photos from these Sunflower fields loved the seas of yellow. It is a bit of an adventure trying to find these fields which for me is a part of the fun. I was afraid my pictures where going to be boring as the sunset was full but then when this crazy storm blew in it completely changed by approach as the background was quickly becoming more interesting than the foreground!Editing
For this photo I did a bit of sharpening to bring out the structure of the clouds and dialed up the vibrance to bring out the color of the fading sun.In my camera bag
My bag pretty much always has my Nikon D7000 and two lenses, a Nikkor 18-300 as well as a Tokina 11-16 mm which I use for wide shots or low light and milky way stuff.Feedback
The fun with this photo is finding the sunflower fields in August. Then I watch the weather forecast to pick a day when there will be some clouds. The next trick is to get there a bit before sunset to figure out some compositions. Then it is really wait and see what the weather does. I always stick around well after the sun sets just too see what the sky does. Some of my favorite photos been taken 30 minutes to an hour after the sun drops below the horizon. For picking up the lightning bolts I use long exposures of 10 seconds or more and just take a lot of shots until I get lucky.