The summer of lightning

This summer has been brutal for landscape photography. Brutal! Don’t get me wrong, I have captured some beautiful moments, but a person can’t wake up every day of the week at 4 am hoping to find some morning magic. Plus, life gets in the way. Kids get sick, roofs leak, among many other responsibilities. Adding a plethora of rainy mornings to the mix has made capturing colorful sunrises or sunsets beyond difficult.

But landscape photography isn't all about sunrises and sunsets. They have the advantage of having a predictable timeline. Other moments happen, but they can't be on a planned schedule. One of these is lightning; I was determined to create a good image with it this year. Unfortunately, thunderstorms in New England aren't like the ones that people chase in the Midwest plains. They are smaller, and you can't see them from miles away across a vast grass or farmland. They come right up to you, and you are in them before you know it. To be safe and still accomplish my goal, I had to make a plan. First, I needed a good location with an excellent composition. Luckily this island is within 20 minutes of my house. Second, I needed to be able to leave my camera, keep it dry and find a safe place to camp out.

Above is the device I bought and modified to keep the camera and lens dry.

Whenever I saw a storm coming, I assesed if I had the time to get there between work meetings, or if my wife could be with the kids. Then I hiked into the location, set up a time-lapse and the plexiglass protection, then walked back to the car to wait out the storm. It took me five thunderstorms to finally capture a good lightning strike. The experience has inspired me to find other locations to safely chase the storms. Be on the lookout in case I do!