lightning

it changed its mind, and decided to back to the source!

shot from our kitchen last night during the storm in toronto.

update: for this photo I set up my camera on a tripod and set it to f8 and started taking 10 second exposures when I felt there is a possibility for lightning appearance. I took about a hundred shots and in only about 10 of them the lightning was captured and this one is by far the most interesting of them.

check the bigger version for more detail (or for desktop wallpaper use).

my original blog entry.

This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.

To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and
install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player.

Comments

< Prev 1 2 3 Next >

(218 comments)

Amin Tabrizi says:

Wow...now this is crazy!!!!

This is a superb job Sam!!! I'm speechless...
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

dminkovsky says:

a clever way to shoot lightning (sort of obvious but i'm stupid). just keep the shutter open for 10 seconds and hopefully it will come! i love it. will try it the next time i can.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

WAXY. says:

Amazing. Nice work. Fabulous in every way.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Erik Kolstad says:

Pheew; what a great shot!
--
Seen in Extreme Weather (invite only) (?)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

breathingjuice says:

love it.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

DjMagra says:

Loving your work as always! Have a friend who's just moved over to Toronto, and she was telling me all about the storm thismorning, sounded amazing, and looks amazing too!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

AKorour says:

WOW, amazing shot. BTW dminkovsky great tip about capturing lightning.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

hhill says:

great spider!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Tanner. says:

Beautifully captured! I was going to try one last night outside, but the lightning was way too close for comfort .
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

vasta says:

sam, this is positively wonderful! and scary at the same time.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

spinlab says:

Whoa! That is awesome ... we had some pretty good blasts in Mississauga, but the 'ol tower is such an amazing lightning magnet!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

pixienicki says:

wow, there was so much lighting last night (i'm in markham) but none of my shots turned out that well!!!! Edit: they're now posted, if anyone's curious...
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Starknaught11 says:

From the looks of it you either live on top of OCAD or inside the AGO. What a view! Oh, and what a capture!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

PoisonedIvy says:

i love it. it's incredible!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

DjMagra says:

I never thought about how loud this must have been actually, wow!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

The Irish Samurai says:

Excellent photo as always.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

six steps  says:

Wow, great shot! I was thinking of going out to get some shots, but I live in a townhouse in the suburb of Malvern :S

Is it possible to upload a larger version for wallpaper? I'd love to have this on my desktop =D
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Carrie Musgrave | Livebabylive.com says:

Where the heck was I? I didn't see a storm at all last night. Must've been in a coma!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

tdl says:

wow!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

brookenovak says:

I don't know what else to say but WOW!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

LucaPicciau says:

Very Powerful Shot... A very pleasure for the eyes!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

worldinmy_eyes says:

Nice view from your kitchen!
Beautiful shot - just stunning!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

PhylG says:

This is spectacular! And I was so fascinated, at first, by the general lightning pattern that it took a couple of minutes to see that big, glowing strike at the top of the Tower. Really amazing!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Siebbi says:

Holy crap! That's amazing! Congrats!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Yazdgerd says:

Great! How long were u waiting for this shot? ;)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

★hime's images★ says:

not only do u have a great view from your kitchen......but the shot leaves me speechless!!!!!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

davidvancura says:

Great capture, and great view!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Navelfluff says:

just commented on you blog and decided to fav it on flickr.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

ma-me says:

what an amazing shot! I really loved seeing all the lightning last night downtown and I wish I had my camera with me so I could try to take a shot! Thanks for sharing! this is now my wallpaper on my desktop :P
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Cvalentine says:

Just amazing. That one bolt connecting with the top of the spire on the building is an amazing catch. As always, great catch.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

zavero says:

great!!!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

_cage_ says:

Awesome capture. It sure was a storm last night
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

dweaf76 says:

Now how to do is one, to do it is th second thing! Stunning! thnkz for sharing it :D
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

denmar says:

Christ, that is awesome.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

memyselfeye says:

wow im in kw and we didnt get the lightning forks, we just got long flashes of lightning and a huge pink cloud! awesome shot!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

selen9900 says:

Amazing！！！！！！！！ Good job
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Jeff Clow says:

Excellent imagery......and a nice piece of photo work.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Rafael DeLima [deleted] says:

Niceeeeeeeeeee!!!! im going to try that too,,, it's hurricane season here in Orlando so i guess a have good chances =) hehe
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

AnnaMarie777 [deleted] says:

WOW! I have tried to capture lightning, but could never figure out how to do it. Nice Shot.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Bart_2006 says:

Cool shot! Thank you for sharing
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

k . s says:

That's amazing. What patience you have to find the right timing of the lightning shots.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

miumomo says:

amazing shot !!!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Richie the K says:

Great shot of the lightning. Thunderstorms provide the best 'fireworks' that can be enjoyed. I've tried unsuccessfully to shoot pictures of lightning. You have given me some excellant insight on how to accomplish this task. Thanks for your input. Richie the K
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

pixleslie says:

Just amazing. Been pondering how I could shoot lightning. You make it seem so easy. But I'm betting I'll be even more in awe of this shot after I try... a few hundred times.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

apstewart says:

very nice!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Andrew. says:

Truly stunning! Two nights ago was definitely an amazing storm!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

lawatha says:

Congratulations! This remarkable image is currently one of Flickr's most interesting photos for 02 August, 2006. (It is on page one of the calendar view.) Would you please add it to the Interestingness pool? It would be a great addition!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Ned Lyttelton says:

Quite apart from the lightning, the detail in the buildings - the interiors, the reflections - are brilliant
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Bosta says:

Beautiful.
I'm pretty jealous, having never gotten a lightning shot that intense.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

infomaniac says:

You know, this pic was on DIGG!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

DigitalPunk says:

Wow awesome!!! :D I was stuck driving in this storm :P
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

rhaleuk says:

Stunning, as ever!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Kolohe Pix says:

Wow! i was watching this storm from my bedroom window and i was thinking how i wish i had a tripod. It's great that you captured this! It was a wickedly good light show.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

tysonwilliams.com says:

Great job on this photo! I live close by you - wish I tried to as well :)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

destinyuk* says:

mental.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

cas poldermans [deleted] says:

great great sam! lucky you get lightning btw; i haven't seen lightning for years although i always carry a mini tripod just in case!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Reed Johnson says:

Awesome!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

johnpiercy says:

well done , you never cease to amaze me Sam ,,,
You have an ultra cool view of TO

Hope your enjoying the summer

JP
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

essjaxx says:

I've pinched this for my desktop too. Thank you, it's awesome.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

yucca2k6 says:

very cool!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

ubieday says:

What an INCREDIBLE shot! Well done. Thanks for sharing this.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Toddlo says:

Awesome!!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

kilr_kadoogan says:

ok, fantastic picture but please PLEASE create a widescreen version!!! (1920 x 1200 preferably) I'm dying here
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

babykailan says:

astonishing.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Grape Juice Girl says:

fantastic - an absolute great view of the city and the storm. just curious - what floor are you? I used to live on the other side of bay (on the 10th floor) and my south facing view was no where was as spectular as yours!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Dada Iliescu says:

Great capture! Good job!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Michael Maniezzo says:

Excellent Shoot The view is perfect and So So sharp. I used a similar technique. I have posted it feel free to look. I didn't have the increadable view you enjoy to accent the lightning but I ended up with a purple hue to the sky. I think it was the same storm we were both shooting.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Voetmann says:

LOVE IT!

Instant fav!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

quebon2 says:

Almost 18,000 views in only four days. Damn! This one's definitely a winna! Congrats!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

TroySnowPhoto [deleted] says:

Unbelievably Cool! WOW...
Fav 4 sure;o)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

j00wish says:

Incredible. I'm in awe...
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Jakob Montrasio says:

Just... awesome.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

bucharestdragon says:

A completly great shot !
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Ustat says:

Neat.. I tried that night too, but nothing too interesting came of it!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

dano35ie says:

Absolute Class shot
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

[le]doo says:

WAHOOOOUU /congratulations
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

German Saez [deleted] says:

Superb photo. Amazing
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Danilo |chutzpah| says:

WOW ... It's incredible ...
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

c-reel.com says:

Superbe !!!!

See my blog:
http:c-reel.blogspot.com

See my website:
www.c-reel.com
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Marco Adams says:

Unreal!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

WA4RLB says:

Beautiful city too !
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

f_feng_liu says:

Amazing!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

manwithface says:

amazing how many comments one (recent) photo can garner
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

Anthony Timberlake says:

This is now my favorite picture and my new desktop!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

The Tattered Coat says:

wonderful shot. thanks so much for explaining how you did it.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

wacky doodler says:

wow, absolutely incredible! glad i wasn't atop the cn tower that night!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

Kennils says:

Very nice
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

british_shorty_23 says:

O my god this photo is breathtaking. thanks for allowin me to see such a fantastic picture
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

Akfirebug says:

Awesome!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

TimSchuler says:

one of the best i've ever seen
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

fotograf.416 says:

that's amazing! instant fav!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

ontario-gal says:

I remember that storm! Incredible clouds scudding overhead ...... congrats on a superb illustration of nature at her finest!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

Soyza  says:

Indeed amazing. Congratulations!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

xxxtoff says:

ahhhhh
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

Christ0ff says:

beautiful shot, i like it much
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

Erik Kolstad says:

Please consider adding this fantastic capture to the new 1-2-3 Weather group:
www.flickr.com/groups/123wx/
--
Seen in Extreme Weather (invite only) (?)
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

*raffaella says:

Amazing shot. We just had a huge electrical storm last night in Edmonton... I will have to follow your settings during the next storm.

A Big Fave
Please add this to www.flickr.com/groups/bigfave
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

kathyhong says:

Wow,very very nice photo, great shot!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

scooter_b_69 says:

Impressive!!!!!! I could kill for that kind of shot! (just kidding)
Nice work!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

Simon.G [deleted] says:

also wanna have a kitchen like yours, fantastic view - and of course great photo!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

< Prev 1 2 3 Next >

(218 comments)

Would you like to comment?

[?]

	wvs' photostream
		1,174 uploads

This photo also belongs to:

	Extreme weather (Set)
		37 items
	Part of: Cityscapes and Nature and Landscape

	Top 20 faved (Set)
		20 items
	Part of: Favourites

	Cityscapes (Set)
		146 items
	Part of: Cityscapes

	Toronto (Pool)
		0

	Lightning (Pool)
		0

	Toronto Photobloggers (Pool)
		0

	Interestingness \| Must be in Top 10 (Pool)
		0

	CN Tower (Pool)
		0

	Extreme Weather (approval needed) (Pool)
		0

	blogTO @ Contact 2007 (Pool)
		0

	Map of Toronto (Pool)
		0

1 gallery contains this photo

1,114 people call this photo a favorite

Additional Information

Taken in Toronto, Ontario (map)
Taken with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT.
More properties
Taken on August 2, 2006
Viewed 112,687 times
Replaced on August 3, 2006

Add to your map

Yay location removed

...

(Some formats are OK.)

Anyone will be able to see this on the map

(edit)

Or, remove it from the map.

Go to the map | See nearby photos and videos

You	Sign in \| Create Your Free Account
Explore	Places \| Last 7 Days \| This Month \| Popular Tags \| The Commons \| Creative Commons \| Search
Help	Community Guidelines \| The Help Forum \| FAQ \| Sitemap \| Get Help

lightning

Comments

Amin Tabrizi says:

dminkovsky says:

WAXY. says:

Erik Kolstad says:

breathingjuice says:

DjMagra says:

AKorour says:

hhill says:

Tanner. says:

vasta says:

spinlab says:

pixienicki says:

Starknaught11 says:

PoisonedIvy says:

DjMagra says:

The Irish Samurai says:

six steps  says:

Carrie Musgrave | Livebabylive.com says:

*tdl* says:

brookenovak says:

LucaPicciau says:

worldinmy_eyes says:

PhylG says:

Siebbi says:

Yazdgerd says:

★hime's images★ says:

davidvancura says:

Navelfluff says:

ma-me says:

Cvalentine says:

zavero says:

_cage_ says:

dweaf76 says:

denmar says:

memyselfeye says:

selen9900 says:

Jeff Clow says:

Rafael DeLima [deleted] says:

AnnaMarie777 [deleted] says:

Bart_2006 says:

k . s says:

miumomo says:

Richie the K says:

pixleslie says:

apstewart says:

Andrew. says:

lawatha says:

Ned Lyttelton says:

Bosta says:

infomaniac says:

DigitalPunk says:

rhaleuk says:

Kolohe Pix says:

tysonwilliams.com says:

destinyuk* says:

cas poldermans [deleted] says:

Reed Johnson says:

johnpiercy says:

essjaxx says:

yucca2k6 says:

ubieday says:

Toddlo says:

kilr_kadoogan says:

babykailan says:

Grape Juice Girl says:

Dada Iliescu says:

Michael Maniezzo says:

Voetmann says:

quebon2 says:

TroySnowPhoto [deleted] says:

j00wish says:

Jakob Montrasio says:

bucharestdragon says:

Ustat says:

dano35ie says:

[le]doo says:

German Saez [deleted] says:

Danilo |chutzpah| says:

tdl says: