Plenty of rumbles, but no show
As an outdoor photographer, I have experienced the opportunity to capture exposures of a plethora of scenes and subject matter. Although I’m game to shoot just about anything that is outdoor related, I do have my favorites. And in return, there are also subjects that don’t excite me.
I happen upon an occasional sunrise or sunset that beckons my name. But I generally do not anticipate stunning scenes in the early-morning and late-evening skies. To say the potential for incredible photos does not lurk during these magical times of the day would be ludicrous.
But it’s just not my cup of tea.
I do grow excited, however, when the weatherman mentions disturbances in the atmosphere. In fact, I grow excited when the forecast calls for thunderstorms during the darkness of night. I seldom pull my camera from the bag when clouds roll in during the day. But I can’t think of any subject matter more dramatic than lightning dancing across the night sky.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. And I’ll have to agree. Photographing lightning is not the safest thing to do, It’s obviously an activity that poses a threat to the photographer. In fact, it could actually cost one their life.
And then there’s the issue of damage to one’s camera, lens and other accessories. It’s not beyond the realm of possibilities to ruin thousands of dollars worth of gear in a rainstorm. One’s equipment is in danger of getting drenched despite precautionary measures, let alone the chances of a strong wind tipping a tripod. And I can attest that nothing is more painful than watching you camera plummet to the ground.
That being said, I am as careful as possible to avoid injury to myself or destruction of my gear. I strive to set up at locations where I can capture distant exposures. And if all goes as planned I’ll be safe and sound in my rig when the storm finally arrives.
Although I would not urge anybody to take up lightning photography, I do appreciate the fact that my friend Todd Frazior shares my passion. Todd and I have stood side-by-side on numerous occasions, oohing and awing as we try to time our exposures for that magical second when lightning bolts suddenly appear in the sky. Of course, our opportunities to capture lightning photos are practically nonexistent during the winter months, as the season is generally nonconducive to thunderstorms. We had experienced a long dry spell as wintertime weather patterns are still prevalent throughout February. So we eagerly made plans when thunderstorms were forecast to roll across the state.
Arriving at a clear-cut atop a large mountain, we mounted our cameras on the tripods in the darkness. We were ready to roll, and judging from the radar, an active thunderstorm was directly in route to the destination we had chosen. And my weather app showed a moderate amount of lightning.
Our calculations suggested the cloud should be within camera range in less than an hour. However, we’re all aware that weather conditions are always subject to change. Fortunately, the cloud remained on course. But we quickly grew disappointed when the atmosphere suddenly became inundated with fog.
The sky was rumbling and there were ample bursts of lightning. But each bolt was diffused by the heavy fog and appeared as nothing more than a huge light in the entire sky. We had hopes that the fog would lift. But it grew even thicker as the storm neared.
We eventually came to the conclusion that our chances of success were practically nonexistent on this particular night. That in mind, we uncovered our gear from beneath the rainproof covers and secured our cameras in their bags.
But all was not lost, though, as we remained on the mountaintop and consumed our snacks while watching the first nighttime thunderstorm of 2018 roll by.