State of Awe

US-27 highway, Tamarac, FL.

A few months into the pandemic, I spotted a storm brewing in the distance from the North. I was parked on the shoulder of the highway, capturing a panoramic sunset with my drone, comfortably far from the storm. But, since it was not even raining at my location, I couldn't resist getting closer to the tempest. So, I packed up my gear and set off in my car.

As I drove a few miles toward the storm, I found a suitable spot to park my car and unpack my drone; I sent it several times, soaring into the sky, capturing lightning images of the storm from above until I depleted my last drone's battery.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I packed up my drone and pulled out my camera. I set it up on a tripod and began shooting long-exposure images to capture a few more lightning strikes while still at a safe distance from the untamed weather.

Completely absorbed, I didn't notice that the storm was getting closer; I felt some drizzling while dark clouds slowly approached my location. I started another long exposure shot, counting the seconds in my mind, when suddenly I felt the blast of a lightning strike.

I barely have words to describe the power of this moment; first, I felt a surge of energy passing through me; almost immediately, an electrostatic shockwave bristled every hair of my body. While at the same time, the light burst, and the thunderclap left me blind and deaf for a few minutes.

A few seconds later, a strange odor lingered in the air, reminiscent of a mixture of something burnt and the smell of a short circuit.

As heavy rain started to fall at my location, still blind and deaf, I picked up my camera, held it with one hand, and grabbed the tripod with the other to use as a cane in search of my car. Eventually, I took refuge inside my vehicle while my eyesight gradually returned.

Then, just a few feet in front of my car, I noticed a thin column of smoke in the center of a vapor cloud. I pondered whether my camera had captured the stunning moment when the lightning bolt landed.

I attempted to review the final picture on my camera, but it failed to turn on. I was worried, realizing that the electrostatic shockwave may impact my camera's electronics. My only hope was the saved images on the memory card.

My hands were trembling with excitement as I rushed into my studio. I quickly extracted the memory card from my camera and inserted it into my laptop. Adrenaline rushed through my veins; unfortunately, the image was overly bright, almost blinding. Despite this situation, I was optimistic that I could retrieve the data concealed by the intense burst of light. The plan: process the RAW file using gamma-correcting techniques to enhance the underlying image pixels.

When I finally rescued the hidden pixels, this stunning shot was revealed. As a result, part of my relentless pursuit of unique moments in Nature, an adventurous spirit, a bit of danger, and a bit of luck —to capture the raw power of Nature in action. A fantastic exhibition of how the forces of Nature could be a display of beauty and fear simultaneously.

When I finally succeeded in rescuing the missing pixels on the shot, this stunning shot was revealed before my eyes. The resulting image is more than just an exhibition of Mother Nature's incredible power. Still, it is also the perfect example of being in the right place at the right moment.

The resulting image captures the essence of 'being in the right place at the right time.' It is a frozen moment of Mother Nature's incredible power that evokes awe from a safe distance. At the same time fear if we were to get any closer.