Landscape Photo Competition 2011 : Entry Number 720

A bold composition which needed anticipating, and no doubt some perseverance, for the photographer to capture this lucky strike. Full marks for the ‘wow’ factor created by this remarkable single electric strike which touches the horizon so meaningfully. The cloud is bursting with energy and the band of rainfall in the strong backlight is magic. The photographer has produced great natural drama but perhaps a softer contrast and less ‘lost’ black would have benefitted this.

My name is Tom Marasco; I'm a photography student from central NJ. This photo was taken on Lake Ontario, NY during an incredible storm at sunset with the sun being just under the thick layer of storm clouds. I used a Canon 7D with a 17-40mm. Capturing the lightening with the strong back lit sun proved to be difficult due to the random nature of lightening. This exposure was 1 second and was taken with a remote. Curves were used in post processing to increase the contrast.