michaelwilson
FollowLightning during a summer thunderstorm at Watson Lake in Prescott, Arizona
Lightning during a summer thunderstorm at Watson Lake in Prescott, Arizona
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Awards
Zenith Award
Contest Finalist in Layers and Rule Of Thirds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in HDR Landscapes Photo Contest Explore Series
Contest Finalist in Earth Day 2016 Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in World Expeditions Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Discover America Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Exploring The Wilderness Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Landscapes 101 Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Amazing Sceneries Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 14 Photo Contest
Peer Award
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fabs
September 21, 2015
WOW
where was this taken? its fantastic! the light, the textures, everything! CONGRATULATIONS! :)
where was this taken? its fantastic! the light, the textures, everything! CONGRATULATIONS! :)
timguzmanphotography
November 15, 2015
Awesome shot. Great lighting, composition, and lightning strike. The water level sure is low, we sure need some rain.
Fujiguy
February 13, 2016
Everything comes together in this superb image. Draws the viewer in and demands exploration of every detail.
GayleLucci
May 05, 2016
Congratulations Michael! Love this vantage point at Watson Lake. Beautifully captured! Gayle
jenibrown
February 07, 2017
I love how each time I've looked at this I notice something new. Awesome picture!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken during the summer thunderstorm season at Watson Lake, in Prescott, Arizona.Time
This is definitely one of my favorite images, and I'm glad that other people seem to like it as well. During the summer in the southwest, thunderstorms routinely move in during the daytime. I had scouted out this location, and was prepared for when an afternoon thunderstorm was making it's way across the lake. This was taken before I had a lighting trigger, so I setup the tripod and camera, on top of this precarious rock formation. I then just kept shooting 10-second intervals. I didn't know if I had captured a lighting strike or not until I got back to the computer to review the images.Lighting
I often hear from other photographers that lightning is the scariest type of storm event to be in. In this image, the storm was moving away from me, so I felt fairly safe. It is definitely a thrill to capture a nice lighting bolt to add another element to an already good composition & image.Equipment
I used my Nikon D7000 with the 12 to 24mm lens on a tripod. No other equipment was utilized.Inspiration
I live near Watson Lake and visit it often, so I've become very familiar with good compositions at the lake. Watson Lake is such a picturesque location to begin with. Add to it interesting stormy skies, and you definitely come away with a "keeper" image.Editing
Because I was continuously shooting images to try and get a lightning bolt, I had quite a few different shots. The sun would peek out from behind the clouds and light the scene in different ways. I started with the image that showed the lighting bolt, then combine a couple different shots where the lighting of the ground was better in particular areas. I also used some HDR processing.In my camera bag
I always carry my tripod. For lenses, I carry my Nikkor 12-24mm and Nikkor 28-300mm. I feel these two lenses give me enough focal length coverage for most landscape photography situations. There is nothing worse than realizing you left your battery charging back at home, or left your SD card in the card reader, so extra batteries and SD cards are a must. During thunderstorm season, I now carry my lighting trigger too.Feedback
Summer thunderstorms in the southwest are great, mainly because they are fairly reliable. A stormy sky is great, but it should definitely be balanced with a great composition of the land. Always keep in mind that storms naturally move, so you always have to be thinking about potential other compositions if the action starts happening in a different spot or location.