Perfectly Timed Photos Reveal Just How Intensely Bright A Lightning Strike Is

Perfectly Timed Photos Reveal Just How Intensely Bright A Lightning Strike Is

Using the Panasonic Lumix G7‘s 4K photo mode which captures still shots at up to 30 frames per second, photographer Matt Taylor captured remarkable before and after night photos revealing just how bright the light generated by a nearby lightning strike can be.

Photo by Matt Taylor

Perfectly Timed Photos Reveal Just How Intensely Bright A Lightning Strike Is
Photo by Matt Taylor

Photo by Matt Taylor

Matt estimates that the lightning bolt struck about 1.5 to 3km south of where he was standing, which meant it was well out of frame to the left of this shot. But given the complete lack of shadows from the dock posts and the folding chair, the blast of illumination looks like it was even brighter than what the sun sends our way.

There are a few things we can learn from this neat photo-op: 1) Mother Nature can still far outperform even your most expensive camera gear, she’s just not quite as predictable or reliable, 2) don’t forget to slather on the SPF 5000 sunblock the next time you get caught in a storm and 3) it’s probably a good idea to get somewhere safe when storm clouds roll in, even if you forgot to bring your camera’s external flash.

[Matt Taylor via PetaPixel]


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