With the onset of summer comes the arrival of the rains and over the last 2 weeks we have been inundated with life giving rain. The best part about the rainy season is the thunder and lightening that accompanies it. With some of the highest lightening strike rates in the world it is quite a spectacle to view and on one afternoon we watched as an impending storm approached us from the South West. The rain had not begun to fall yet but with darkness falling fast we could see the immense strikes of lightening as they cris crossed the sky, jumping from cloud to cloud and some of the bolts looking for a way down to the earth. Lightening is not without its uses as it helps fix nitrogen into the soil, which in turn increases the fertility of the area.
We stopped for a sundowner to enjoy the natural fireworks display, which stretched across the entire horizon. I decided to play around a little with one of the guest’s camera to see what sort of effect we could get with some long exposure shots. I set the camera up and got the guests into place for a group photo and as I released the shutter a huge bolt of lightening cracked right overhead. After drinks we decided to head to another vantage point and see what shots could be achieved with the lightening. The sky had now blackened completely and the two enthusiastic photographers were madly clicking away trying to capture the barrage of lightening strikes that were still crashing down. My camera was unfortunately not working so I was acting as a subject for the photographs.
Every time the lightening struck it would light the sky up in a brilliant purple and after about a half an hour of fun with the cameras we had to pack it all up because the rain had finally caught up to us.
What a great fireworks display put on by the master of all entertainers…Mother Nature herself!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Great images guys – especially the last one !
Thanks Nick! I was posing a little but it is too much fun playing with the long exposure shots!
Awesome. I love to watch lightning. I love the middle pic.
Very cool photos!!
It was an amazing evening…it took many attempts to get the photos but it was worth the effort. The best part of the whole thing was seeing the flash of lightening while the shutter was open and then reviewing the photos to find that we had caught the moment!
I was in sabi sabi late march and the first night there was a storm of at least three hours. I was frightened,thunder,lightning… impressed. But in spite of fear i can not forget the sound of thunder so loud and the light show. I no doubt repeat itself.