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Contest Finalist in Night And Rule Of Thirds Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Nature By Night Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in A Force Of Nature Photo Contest by Focal Press
Contest Finalist in Inspiring Shots Photo Contest
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DavesAdventures
January 08, 2015
Beautiful shot. How many frames is this put together to get this creation?
staceysherlock
September 22, 2015
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
philipdrispin
November 03, 2016
When I am not taking pictures I teach meteorology at a university in Texas. I spend a lot of time looking at weather images to use in lectures. This one is very beautiful. I am curious as to what you used as a trigger?
FlyingEagle
April 11, 2017
Incredible power in this shot! The darker borders draw attention to the center of the image and create better contrast to highlight the power of the lightning bolt. Great composition.
hfickingerphoto
November 06, 2018
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
marysorberdye
January 05, 2022
My jaw is still on the floor. Your photography is over the top!~Stunning!~
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Southern Utah Desert in the middle of NOWHERE!Time
Late on a summer eveningLighting
Lightning Is probably my most favorite "thing" to capture. Awe inspiring, captivating, powerful and always exciting. This particular strike was a mere 500 yards from me the shock and blasting sound of the strike was almost as instant as the blinding bright light. This bolt and several others in the same vicinity were some of the most impressive of the summer. That Night I stood alone in the pitch black darkness, the warmth of summer would quickly vanish as the cool air of the storm would sneak in and surround me, then bring with it the energy and power of the storm! I always find it a challenge to be pointed in the right place, close enough for the capture, yet far enough away from danger. I have had a few hit so close it felt like Dynamite. Those are the nights you really give respect to the power of the storm and move on to challenge it another time.Equipment
I typically keep it simple as possible, my Canon 7d, a 10-22mm, 28-135mm or a 24-70mm, Manfroto tripod and Head, simple interleave timer / Remote and a Gallon Ziplock with the corner cut out to keep the rain out of the camera. Honestly I don't remember which lens was on for this shot but I will never forget how loud it was!Inspiration
Lightning! Lightning is always an inspiration in itself and here in the southwest desert there are far too many good storms during the monsoon season. Diligently I watch the weather maps and storm trackers waiting, listening and watching for any signs of a storm I drop everything and grab my gear to chase any storm from the biggest to the smallest, even if I don't take the camera out of the bag there is just something energizing and exciting about a thunderstorm!Editing
Some light room, usually to adjust white balance and a little noise clean up. Beyond that I think the shot and the subject should do the work!In my camera bag
I am a gear head and love to test and use the latest and greatest every chance I get but the truth is I keep a 50mm, a 10-22mm, a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm which is usually on my camera body at all times. The rest of the kit is typical, filters, cleaning supplies, batteries and so on.Feedback
Truth is I tried everything until I realized you can simply open the shutter (with the right settings) and wait for a flash, then shut it! check your focus, ISO white balance etc and repeat! as long as your camera is stable , focused and you get your settings right for the ambient light and noise pollution you can leave the shutter open for quite a long time and still get a beautiful capture.