Lucky Strike

Extra ordinary means very ordinary. But extraordinary is defined as extremely unusual or remarkable.

As photographers, we aim to transform the ordinary into extraordinary. We might employ composition, perspective, lighting, emotion, abstraction, tone, and post-processing to create a compelling image.

You probably envision the Grand Canyon as extraordinary. And it is to the eye.

To the camera, it usually comes across as a dark hole in the ground. It works well for selfies and for “tourist” photos. But if you’re trying to create a compelling landscape image, it’s an extremely difficult location.

The Shot

The extraordinary qualities of storm light came to my rescue two summers ago on a trip to the Grand Canyon. Just as our group pulled into the parking lot of the North Rim Lodge, a monsoon storm appeared.

Forgetting about registration, we raced to the overlook and set up our cameras. A lightning trigger attached to the camera allowed us to capture a bolt much faster than we could possibly react and manually press the shutter button.

Most of the bolts were unremarkable or half in or half out of the frame. But this frame captured a bolt beyond the Zoroaster Temple formation in the distance. And there’s just a hint of a rainbow on the left.

It was a lucky strike that helped bring a bit of extraordinary into this image.

I’ll be on the road next week, so the next Friday Photo is March 21.

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus

https://cderus.zenfolio.com/