anenaburger

When the heavens touch the earth

It's not very often that you have the sheer joy of catching two of the most amazing features of the Kalahari in South Africa in one photograph. But this one say...
Read more

It's not very often that you have the sheer joy of catching two of the most amazing features of the Kalahari in South Africa in one photograph. But this one says it all. The Kalahari is one of the most arid regions in South Africa and is known through history for the hardships her inhabitants have endured here. It is bushmen coutry and they call the extreme thunderstorms Xhoeroe. The word sounds like thunder rolling along. I was very lucky to get this shot with a blood red sunset in the background it really was as if the heavens reached out for the earth.
Read less

NIKON D7000

settings

Aperture f/3.5 ISO 125 Shutter 1/13 Focal Length 180/10

upload_date

May, 2015

Views

5251

Likes

+450

Awards

Action Award

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Creative Winter Award

Curator's Selection

Legendary Award

Top Shot Award

Featured

Contest Finalist in A Force Of Nature Photo Contest by Focal Press

Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest

Editor's Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

+76

Superb Composition

+74

Top Choice

+63

Peer Award

+62

Outstanding Creativity

+22

Magnificent Capture

+20

Superior Skill

+14

All Star

Genius

Love it

Virtuoso

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 30 rank week 2

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in the Kalahari, South Africa. I am a photojournalist for South Africa's largest news agency, Media24, and a professional photographer.

Time

Shooting electric thunderstorms are one of my favourite photographic subjects. The pure thrill of trying to capture a lightning bolt is what makes me feel alive. Out here in the Kalahari the storms are very unpredictable and the difficulty in capturing lightning at different times of the day varies quite a bit. You also have to have quite a good knowledge of the weather and how it moves in this area to able to capture it correctly. Because of the vast plains you can see areas where the storm is happening and others where the sky is clear and open. This creates it own challenges. This photograph was taken at sunset at about 18:00.

Lighting

The light was still quite strong although a bit low underneath the storm. Therefor using extreme slow shutter speeds would not have worked for this shot. This is a single shot, handheld at 1/13 shutter speed. The lightning bolt served as my flash for the surrounding landscape and just illuminated the splashes of water enough to give it a dramatic feel. The red sunset on the horizon was a beautiful contrast to the whole composition.

Equipment

I used the Nikon D7000 and a Nikon 18 - 105 mm VR. No other equipment was used.

Inspiration

I'm always inspired by electrical storms, each storm and each bolt is unique. I was on my way home from a shoot when the storm suddenly started up and it was moving very fast. I knew I only had a few minutes so I raced out of town and found the perfect spot for my composition. After that it was a matter of being ready and counting until I caught this special one.

Editing

For this photograph I used Lightroom to slightly help improve the light in the foreground and added a bit of exposure. The rest was as shot.

In my camera bag

I guess other pro photographers would probably have a laugh or a heart attack if they saw my kit. I travel light. In my bag is a Nikon D7000, a nikon 18 - 105 mm VR, a Sigma 70 - 300 mm for emergency zoom shots or an odd macro and lastly, but truly my favourite, a Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens. I also have an SB700 flash.

Feedback

There are many ways to capture lightning and different landscapes requires their own technique.Taking lightning photos in cities are completely different to capturing it in nature where there is no light pollution.The best thing to do is to firstly get to know the weather in your area. Then a lot of patience and attention to where the lightning strikes. Mostly shoot at an 18 mm focal length and incorporate a good skyline or landscape to create a good composition. Try and look for something different to give the photograph some depth or perspective otherwise it's just another photo of a lightning bolt.

See more amazing photos, follow anenaburger

anenaburger

anenaburger

When the heavens touch the earth

It's not very often that you have the sheer joy of catching two of the most amazing features of the Kalahari in South Africa in one photograph. But this one say... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow anenaburger

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

It's not very often that you have the sheer joy of catching two of the most amazing features of the Kalahari in South Africa in one photograph. But this one say...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.