After finishing my dinner last night, I went out on the balcony for a breath of fresh air. To my surprise, the wind blew me in the face, and I could hear it howling and rustling of the leaves outside. I could also hear things falling over on the other balconies and windows slamming shut. A heavy storm was approaching.
I rushed to mount my camera on the tripod and waited inside. It was about 20 minutes later when I first noticed that the sky had started flashing brightly. I jumped out on the balcony and pointed the camera towards Vitosha mountain, as I thought that the storm was coming that way. The sky continued to flash, but I only managed to capture one weak lightning that was too far away in the distance.
I realized then that the storm was going to hit the city southwest from my location, so I quickly changed the subject of my photo to 2 huge panel buildings 2 kilometers away. I set the camera's time-lapse counter to 200 pictures, pressed the shutter, and waited for the lightning show to start. It wasn't until the 60th photo when a couple of small lightning bolts flashed behind the buildings.
At that moment, I knew that it’s only a matter of time to capture a monster. A few minutes later, a colossal lightning tore the sky apart, and a deafening thunder rolled menacingly. Then, all hell broke loose.
©Daniel Slavov | All photos are taken with Lumix G80 & Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 @ 40mm, f/2.8, 2 sec., ISO-320
I love thunderstorms and heavy rain - I find them relaxing. What about you?
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Great photos! I envy you. There are almost never lightnings in Iceland. But we got the Northern Lights, so we got something from the sky wort taking photos of instead of lightnings.
Haha, and I envy you for having the aurora borealis and stunning nature and volcanos in Iceland :) Thank you!!
Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side :)
Haha, absolutely! 😂
Wow amazing shots and great to read how the came about
Thank you @tattoodjay! I am happy that you found it interesting to read :)
HOLY CRAP!!! Great shots!!! I was trying so hard to get some lightning shots while in the Philippines but the storms were always too far away in the mountains. An in Louisiana the trees block the views. in other words...I'm jealous :P
Haha, It seems to me that you are looking for excuses 😂😂 Where do you live in Louisiana?
Thank you, man!!
Who ME?? Looking for excuses????
HAHA...I live just outside the Baton Rouge area.
Funny gif :D I am gonna check it on google maps :)
Oh my goodness, that third photo is spectacular! But to be honest I hate thunderstorms, to afraid to eve peak out! Beautiful!
Thanks a lot, Di! 🙇 Actually, one of my most terrifying experiences occured when I was camping in the mountain and a huge thunderstorm broke out :) Do you get thunderstorms often in Australia?
Not as often, lucky for me! But few days ago really scared me, lightning struck in front of my house, it really shook me.
Wonderful pictures taken, of the wonderful nature.
Thanks a lot, @dowithlove 😜🙏
Great shot! I also prefer heavy rains than sunny weather! Cheers!
Don't get me wrong, I also like sunny weather and beaches :P Thank you и наздраве!
Баланса е важен. Никой не вярвам да не му се хареса седмица на слънчака! хаха ... Наздраве!
Wauw, amazing and magical photos. I love nature for this kind of little 'miracles'
You know, I have always wondered how some people survive after being struck by one of these little miracles ⛈ :) Thank you!!
Awesome. I still haven't taken any shots with lightning in them. I like the details in the clouds from all the light.
Would you like to? :) The light was actually so bright that I had to decrease the exposure when processing the image. Thank you! ✌
You got it at the perfect moment. Amazing!
Oh, yes, I was lucky enough. Thank you!
@irreverent-dan,
Wow that last one is a chunky monkey, I would not have liked to be in those buildings..
Great photo.
Haha, chunky monkey is a great way to describe it :) Thank you!
Amazing shots, such a masterpiece! It is unbelievable how powerful nature can be. I also love thunderstorms. :)
Thank you @isabellemonisse and welcome to Steemit! :)
Thank you @irreverent-dan :)
Spectacular images Daniel. Especially the last one.
At a distance.
My story: On the beach with a friend. STRONG lightning. We lay face down on the wet sand. Laughing ~ Until ~ Lightning came within a few feet of us. SO scary. Also I was wearing a top that I'd just dyed bright pink ~ All of a sudden a pink river was carving its way through the sand.
Wow, this must have been a frightening experience, Ally... You are right, and I should have added that thuderstorms are relaxing when I am in the shelter of my home :) Thank you!
Awesome! You went out at the right time to get these great shots! Amazing😀💥
Thank you, Ceci! As I missed the huge lightning last time, this time I had my camera read in advance :D
pure art... you should sell these
not under a million bucks, obviously
Haha, 15-16 bucks from steemit's reward pool is a fair price, I would say :) Selling my photos is one of the things I am not very good at. Thanks for you comments and support, Robin!
WOAH. Crazy shots! Love me some thunderstorms. I need to get a tripod and get to shooting the sky
Thanks, Chrissy! You can also get to shooting the buildings at night if you have a tripod :) It can add a nice twist to your architectural photography.
Yeah, I've been debating on what type I should get. I need to just take the plunge though!
I just bought a Sirui t-005x :)