Tuesday, August 16, 2016

The Coming Storm!


So I heard thunder and checked my iPhone for the radar image and saw it was headed right for us. Hmmmmmm… Where should I go to protect myself from the lightning?  Oh, I know… The Beach!  Why don’t I go down by the water and watch the storm come across the sound!  What a great idea, right?  I set up my camera on a tripod, and used a manual setting.  I set the exposure for 6 seconds at a time.  I open the shutter, and hope for lightning.  The shutter closes and I make the next exposure. I continued this for about half an hour, taking about 125 photographs.  I only had lightning in about 20 of them.  But I did get this one!  I remember a saying back in the newspaper days when I would come back from a difficult shoot, saying "Oh man, I only got ONE shot!"  The editor would always say, "One shot is all you need!"





10 comments:

Anonymous said...

You got the 'ONE SHOT" but you are crazy being out in the storm. Someone was struck by lightning in West Haven last month trying to escape from the beach and head for cover. Thunderstorms here on Sunday night were some of the worst I have seen.
Joan

Anonymous said...

or to put it another way you got the "money shot". Spectacular, thanks for risking your life for the blog !!! Any idea where the bolt hit ???

Anonymous said...

WOW, WOW, WOW! Spectacular. Well done, Ken Spencer!

ken schwarz said...

This is an amazing photo! So glad you took the time to setup the shot and have the patience to wait for the dramatic bolt of lightning! Way to go!

Anonymous said...

where can I purchase a copy ???

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic photo! You've captured the wonder and magnificence of nature. I also like the human touch-the boats in the harbor and the lights on the distant shore. Fabulous!! Trace

Anonymous said...

WOW! Spectacular photo! I cannot believe you're crazy enough to be out in this weather but I totally love that you captured this shot. You rock!! bsk

Ken Spencer said...

Anonymous: Please send me an email, and we can figure out what you want, in terms of print size. < itbeken at yahoo dot com >

Ken Spencer said...

Joan: I was very safe taking this photograph. If you remember the tour that you guys got, I took this from down at the boardwalk, which is right at the bottom of the cliff. So if lightning were to strike nearby, it would strike the highest spot, which is 300 feet above and behind me. Also, if the lightning had gotten close, I would have been long gone.

Anonymous said...

It is a beautiful shot, glad you were able to take it safely. Worth the wait. Diane from Newsday days.