Photographically Challenged #33: Offshore Storm

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"Cloud Wrapped Lightning"
North Topsail Beach, NC - July 2009 (Click to embiggen)

Photographically Challenged Fridays on Why? What Have You Heard?

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Two Stops Under #15 Carpet Shock Writ Large

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"Electrifying!"
North Topsail Beach, NC - July 2009 (Click to Embiggen)

Two Stops Under Thursdays on Why? What Have You Heard?

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Thematic Photographic 67: "Temporary" v.4.0 - Firepower

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"Danger: High Voltage"
North Topsail Beach, NC - July 2009 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

Note: Please take a moment to stop by the Written, Inc. and visit this post. And pay your respects to TP's creator, Carmi, on the sudden loss of his father. Best thoughts for you and your family Carmi.

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Even more temporary -- and more deadly -- than yesterday's fireworks are nature's own fireworks. From the time man first took notice of the sky above him lightning has been revered -- and feared. The ancient Greeks gave this weapon to their most powerful god Zeuss. And it presents some unique challenges to the photographer to say the least. Special techniques, and a lot of dumb luck are the requirements to capture this phenomenon which is quite literally "gone in a flash".

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Sky Watch Friday #48: Because I Never Get Tired Of Lightning Shots

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"Offshore Storm"
North Topsail Beach, NC - July 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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Sky Watch Friday #45: Arrival Of The Mothership??

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"Nah. It's Just Lightning."
North Topsail Beach, NC - July 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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Thematic Photographic 59: "Elemental" v.4.0 - "A Lot of Static"

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"Elemental Power"
Topsail Beach, NC - July 2009 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.
 This image and others available for sale at my RedBubble Site!

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Anxious to prove -- to myself and anyone else who might wonder -- that my lightning shot from last week wasn't a fluke, I was deliriously happy when the Rains of Doom descended on my beach trip on Friday. Because the storm that deluged Topsail Island (and "deluge" is no exaggeration) foreshadowed a spectacular light show once the sun went down. By then the storm center was well offshore, but the beauty of the ocean (one of them at least) is that the visible horizon is seven miles away. There's nothing to obscure it. And even with a relatively low ceiling, anything at any altitude will be visible from further away still. And so it was with the storm that was doubtless playing havoc with anything in that part of the Atlantic Ocean. But the distance made it possible for me to set up my tripod on the right on the beach without worrying about shelter and firing at will for an hour or so. I captured a lot of blackness, several shots of spectrally illuminated clouds and an even dozen shots of sharply defined lightning over the water. Including this gem that I got fairly early in the expedition.
Related:

Thematic Photographic 59: "Elemental" v.5.0 - "Forces of Nature"
Don't You Wish You Were Me Right Now? - Part V
Summer Stock Sunday #9
Don't You Wish You Were Me Right Now? - Part IV
Don't You Wish You Were Me Right Now? - Part III
Don't You Wish You Were Me Right Now? - Part II
Don't You Wish You Were Me Today?
I'm Not Home Right Now, Please Leave a Message and I'll Get Back to You As Soon As Possible
55 Flash (Semi-)Fiction #53: "What I Did On My Summer Vacation"

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Wordless Wednesday #109 - "Power"

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"Fireworks Au Naturel"
Raleigh, NC - July 2009 (Click to embiggen)

 Featured on Indie Ink 6.25.2010
 This image and others available for sale at my RedBubble Site!

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