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fireworks

on Nov 01, 2011

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.

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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.

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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!

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  • by: Richard de Gouveia (Little Bush Camp ranger)
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