lightning

This is the best lightning picture I've ever taken. It was one of about 110 pictures I took that night and the only one that was really good. I had about 10 others that had a little success but nothing like this one.

The house in the picture is just down the street from me. The storm was coming in from the west, it had been over Charlotte NC about an hour before, and I got this picture just before the rain started to fall.

The strike on the right side of the picture wasn't all that close, but the one on the left side sent my girlfriend into the house. Quickly! LOL Soon after the wind really started blowing and the rain hit. We had rain for about 5 hours with electrical activity for most that time. Quite a storm but not nearly as violent as several others this past month.



This is what the area of the picture above looked like between lightning strikes. I was taking 8 second exposures so the small amount of ambient light was just enough to show the outline of the nearby trees. The lighning in the frame above made a dramatic difference.

Oddly enough, I didn't notice the strike on the right side when it happened. I was looking at a datascreen with one eye and the other was closed, but the strike on the left side was impossible to ignore. It was close and LOUD!

Comments

Panthergirl said…
WOW!!!! Amazing shot!!! We've been having unusually violent storms here too. It's creepy, really. The atmosphere is definitely changing...

You can probably sell that photo, Dave.
10:00 PM
Unique Designs from Zazzle said…
holy crap! Those lightning strikes look like they could vaporize an elephant.
10:20 PM
carmilevy said…
Oh.

My.

GOD.

I'm blown away...this is incredible. Panthergirl's right: sell this.
10:20 PM
MorahMommy said…
Carmi took the words right out of my mouth. That picture is simply amazing. I agree with both of them... sell this picture.

Here via Michele
11:07 PM
utenzi said…
Thanks for the compliments. Selling it seems like too much bother but I do like the picture. I donated it to a local newstation for use on their site, should they want it. I sent in a 1024x768 version. The original is 2816x2112 so I could print it out bigger than 16" x 20". That would look quite impressive but maybe a bit too much. Pictures that intense are great for one-time looks, but on a wall you see everyday they're a little too intense.
11:14 PM
kenju said…
I agree with those who said sell it, Dave. It is an unbelieveable photo! You are to be commended!
11:28 PM
Carli N. Wendell said…
What was the emperor from Star Wars doing in your neighborhood? Those are some freaky lightning bolts!
11:38 PM
Libra Moon said…
Utenzi...

Thank You for your post regarding "sweating"...

http://libramoongoddess.blogspot.com/2006/07/my-knight-my-lovemy-life.html

I am a photographer and LOVE your work! Stay Inspired and Experimental with your Visions!

Enjoy the Day!
Libra Moon
7:57 AM
Anonymous said…
That would have sent me into the house, too! That is an amazing shot.

Nice, to see you having so much fun taking pictures.
1:55 PM
Anonymous said…
try, try again pays off!
4:59 PM
rashbre said…
Great photo - electrifying!
5:39 PM
Anonymous said…
great photos!
9:31 PM
Michelle said…
Wow, thats better than my lightening shot! Brilliant!
12:18 AM
Tandi said…
Wow, what a gorgeous shot.
11:33 PM
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