we had some brutal but brief thunderstorms this afternoon, after that beautiful summer day earlier. went to the don valley lookout to chase some lightning, the oldest item in my photographic bucket list. when the storm moved southeast, i was quite excited because i knew if i ever captured one, it would surely be hitting the tip of the CN tower. it's quite a tensive wait but it happened and i did it. my only regret was that the camera focused more on the leaves in the foreground but i'm still patting meself on the shoulder for this shot.
"Canada’s tallest structure is also the city’s biggest lightning target, especially in summer. Because of its height and slim structure, lightning hits the tower scores of times a year. Usually, the CN Tower is struck 75 to 80 times per year. But some days, it’s pummeled. On Aug. 24, 2011, for example, it was mercilessly zapped 52 times in only 84 minutes. That’s the equivalent of one strike every 97 seconds." - thestar.com
@maggiemae - no, i had to see the direction the dark clouds were going. it was moving towards the south-east and i could see the skyline as it darkened. the tower, being so high, is a lightning target especially during summer thunderstorms. however, the tip of the tower has copper strips that channel the lightning strikes from the top of its radio and cell antennae down to 52 buried grounding rods. thank you, maggiemae.
Oh, fabulous! I want to get a lightening picture! It's on my bucket list. But, every time it storms here, I can't see the actual lightening strikes for the trees. FAV!
My son shared with me a photo of a supercell storm cloud right over Toronto yesterday, did you see it? Was amazing! I love this shot! Well done! Lightening is on my bucket list too. I tried one night for quite a while, but no success.
@homeschoolmom - it took me a while to see where the lightning strikes. there was a rather strong wind - we had places in the city with trees uprooted and damaging people's cars, houses, etc. so the black clouds were moving quite fast! and it took about almost half a minute before you get to hear the thunder then you have to determine which direction it is. this was a 180-degree turn from my first shot at 6:20. thank you, lisa.
@tracie8266 - gotta love thunderstorms, but you have to be careful, too. my elementary science lessons had to be invoked like, do not stay under the tallest object in an open field. thank you, tracie.
@grammyn - don't get excited and don't get jealous! it's not the best lightning shot. now i want more thunderstorms so i can practice more. :-) thank you, girlfriend!
@susanalena - yes, was watching it from start to finish! it brought back memories of typhoons in the manila. it could be exciting! but not thinking yet of chasing storms and tornado. wow! i once saw a tornado formed somewhere over markham, from my office window. it didn't touch down though and i was so in awe of it i forgot to shoot! :-D thank you susan.
Fabulous capture!! Might as well live through your thunderstorms and lightening captures because it will be a cold day in hell before it rains here again!! You did a great job with this one....I kind of like the soft focus since the tree branches framing it in the foreground are so sharp it looks intentional. But, I wish you more storms for practice, if that's what your heart desires!! :-))
@summerfield I'm glad I stopped by to visit, I didn't get the notice that I was tagged here.
Focus be damned, this is excellent. The streak looks sort of like a stock market graph, but on an angle.
Focus be damned, this is excellent. The streak looks sort of like a stock market graph, but on an angle.