Simple Tips For Better Pics 16: Capture Lightning in a Camera

"The Voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of Glory Thundereth: the Lord is Upon many waters."

Psalm 29:3

The following is a true story... (Like, what else would it be?) This is a story of a very stormy evening in Arizona. It is a story of an idea, an effort, and a lot of patience. It is a story that is a special one for my wife Alea and I, as it would be one that would lead to me getting perhaps my favorite picture of all the ones I've taken over the past two plus decades. Definitely one that has been very popular on the stock photo scene but more importantly, one that would be a very special and a signature addition to our website. This is a story of God once again Providing such amazing and spectacular results. It all starts when in the late afternoon one day, the latest clouds of the Monsoon season start to blow in...

My wife said to me: "Honey, go get your camera!" So we decided we were going for a little drive! We went down the road a bit, and of course it started to rain, which was cool. We wanted to scout the area and see where there might be some opportunities to see something...

Nothing yet... Definitely a good downpour on the horizon... Wondering if...

Ok, yeah! There we go! We'll go that way! We drive for a bit in the general direction of the lightning strike, and come to a pullout by a wash area in the desert off the road. It has a terrific vantage point of really dynamic clouds and rain, and as we were driving to that spot Alea pointed out the lighting strikes in that direction and suggested we stop there. So glad I did!

What a great spot! Safely off the road, we go ahead and get our positions for the upcoming "fireworks" that our Lord was Providing in abundance. So far, it's quiet for a bit.

It's at this point I pull out one of THE most important instruments a photographer will ever have. The tripod! There are so many advantages to having a good, sturdy tripod to mount your camera on, I could write a few articles alone on that, but for this story, I'll stay on task. The tripod is absolutely vital when it comes to getting pictures of lightning. It's a waiting game, where you have to find a spot that has a lot of activity and then, instead of a net to catch this, we open the shutter on the camera and hope that in these 30 second or so periods we catch us something spectacular. It won't take too long...

Those were some really cool shots! Now this is where the patience comes in. Much like fishing, there are periods in between those pictures where I didn't quite get a "bite" on the line, but patience and waiting. God Will Provide. Every now and then, as you can see from those shots, the open net err, shutter, did catch a stunning lightning strike. What I didn't realize was, the best was yet to come, and it was coming fast. Shutter open, and waiting...

Still waiting. The air was cool and there was that terrific smell of rain freshness in the air. Not sure what would happen next, but I was quiet, as was Alea, and we waited. Sometimes things happen when you least expect them...

In a flash, out of nowhere, it happened. And my camera was watching and got the whole thing. A lightning strike like I had never seen, and it was an absolute beauty. What an answer to prayer! Alea and I were both amazed by the whole lightning show, but especially that one was special. I would go on to hold a special place in my heart for this image, which I decided to call "God of Glory Thunders."

At the time, I was not aware that there is a reference to that name in Scripture, from Psalm 29:3 above, which when we discovered that it was such an amazing moment! All Glory to God! We would go on to use this image on our front page of our website, Divine Compositions, as well as make it our logo. Many years have passed since then, and that evening in Arizona is still as unforgettable as that day my wife Alea and I decided to "go for a drive" and catch some lightning!

Until next time...

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Simple Tips For Better Pics 16: Capture Lightning in a Camera

"The Voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of Glory Thundereth: the Lord is Upon many waters."

Psalm 29:3

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