New Work: Jack Dykinga

Monsoon storm lightning strikes hillside silhouetted saguaro cactus, Carnegiea gigantea, Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona. © 2011 Jack Dykinga

Shooting lightning is easy.  Finding a situation where an active lightning storm completes the composition is really hard. In order to get this image, I trailed and passed through the storm front, continually finding potential cactus subjects…only to reject them as the storm continued to push onward.  Finally, I got far enough ahead to let the storm transition into my frame.  Focusing became the hardest problem to overcome.  Finally hung my headlamp on the tree and focused  on the beam.  Lots of very hard, wet work with no sleep! –Jack Dykinga

Technical details: 7.5 seconds @ f/9.0, ISO 100, Nikon D3X, Nikkor AF-S 70-300 VR, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead, Really Right Stuff tripod