This summer, we had extreme weather. There was that evening when lightning flashed so intensely that I had the impression of being on a red carpet for a launch of a film! In fact, the first clue was the thunder that rumbled incessantly that night. That night, I was sorting photos because it was raining heavily. The lightning must have hit the power grid a few times because we had a few minor faults, which cut the pleasure of working on the computer 😉
That’s when I took a look outside… I noticed that it wasn’t raining anymore and lightning flashes were constant. What a dilemma! It was late, I was working the next day, it was the middle of the week, in short, many reasons for not going out. Soooo, I ignored the good angel, race to picking my camera and my tripod. I would call it a foolish and hasty departure and a poorly planned photo expedition!!! I had a 50mm lens, no spare battery or remote trigger… Needless to say that the long repeated exposures drained my battery like an icicle in the sun. Besides, the field of view of 50mm provided me with a limited framing opportunities.
My idea was to go not too far, at the limits of the city, take some pics while it was not raining. That allowed me to photograph this image of lightning on the power lines. Relatively simple to
do: long exposures of 20 to 30 seconds, f/8, ISO 100. At least, the advantage of having a focal length at 50mm rendered the “real focal length” at 75-80mm on my APS-C sensor. It had a certain magnification of the elements in the photo.
Proud of these results, I wanted to do more. So I left the boundaries of the city and went back home to get my equipment… Once there, I had another “emerging photographer” waiting for me “Why didn’t you tell me you were going out for that” 😉
We left for the countryside and made some photos. The lightning storm had lessened a bit, unfortunately. It was getting late. We waited a bit and then decided to return home. On the way back, there were some flashes again. They seemed to go behind the clouds and more often. They lit enough to observe the size and the threat they represented: another storm was rolling in! We stopped on the side of a road (too busy for my taste) and installed our equipment. I composed this vanishing point. Just in time to capture the splendor of a magnificent lightning strike. It is recommended to choose an open area with elements in the foreground to embellish the landscape of photos with lightning. I must say it is a bit crowded, but what a show!
I went to bed very late… !
