Zaragoza Lightning Storm
I spent around 45 minutes photographing this lightening storm, trying to capture the moment when the boot would strike the spectacular Zaragoza Basilica of our ...
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I spent around 45 minutes photographing this lightening storm, trying to capture the moment when the boot would strike the spectacular Zaragoza Basilica of our Lady of the Pillar. After not much success I decided to pray. Around 1 minute into shooting every 5 seconds I landed this beauty.
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Oct, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Zaragoza, Northern Spain, from the bridge Puente de Piedra, overlooking the River Ebro. The image captures the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar or the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar.Time
This was taken at 9.55pm local time. I began shooting about 40 minutes earlier as the thunderstorm began.Lighting
I tried to keep artificial light to a minimum as when the lightning was lighting up the whole of the sky.Equipment
Nikon D60, Nikkor VR 18-55mm lens. I would have used a tripod, had I had one on me, so this was just a case of leaning against the bridge and trying to keep as steady a hand as possible.Inspiration
I was walking into the old town with a friend when this spectacular lightning storm began. Sheets of lightning were lighting up the whole sky but seemed to happening in different corners of the city and all around us. I noticed that some of them where getting pretty close to the Basilica in this image, so I pointed at that and began shooting. I was there for about 40 minutes and eventually came away with two incredible shots.Editing
I made minor alterations to the contrast and colouring of the sky, and brought a tad more light into some of the more shadowed areas of the image.In my camera bag
Normally I have two lenses - a Nikon Nikkor D60, VR 18-55mm lens, one that gives me a bit of a zoom AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm. I carry a polarising filter for reflections, a mini tripod (hand size for steady shots off of a wall); and a wide angle lens.Feedback
I spent a long time trying to get this shot. If I could emphasise one thing it was perseverance and a good bit of luck on the timing. I had so many moments where i'd just missed an incredible lightning shot, so I began taking shots every few seconds and then I prayed for the timing to coincide - true story! And that's when I landed this shot.
