arizona dream Photo

Photographer’s Note

You all have seen Emir Kusturica's "Arizona Dream" (with Johnny Depp), haven't you? No!? Well, what are you waiting for?...

Here is my personal Arizona dream, no Eskimo delivering a halibut in it though. In plain English: THIS is what one gets for wishing some sunny, relaxing time in one of the sunniest states in the great wide open Western USA...

A local Navajo chief told us such weather was very unusual for the month of May. Rains are supposed to come to Page area in July and August if ever, but not in May... The locals THANK global climate change for this anomaly. Rain is a blessing in the desert.

By the way, the lightning is strikig right where the famous Antelope Canyon* is whereas the dark waters in the foreground belong to lake Powell. Technically, this is the beginning of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River.

--
* During storms like this, flash floods do happen in Antelope Canyon. Water in the canyon can rise to 12 feet and higher within seconds. So, if you happen to be there and you see your guide rushing towards the exit while screaming "run!", make sure you RUN!...

japiey, PixelTerror, bostankorkulugu, sevy, zeca, shevchenko, Floydian, kingurek, belido, avene, Bruno40, Philippe, isabela_sor, worldcitizen, dareco, hispic, fulvio52, alainh, Dpbours, kiks, plimrn, batalay, windosil, Wandering_Dan, xuaxo, stego has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

devimeuxbe (56370) 2009-06-02 22:19

Hi Kristaps
wuoaa, impressive vision. The fire in the sky is perfectly captured. It's a nice picture
Bertrand

japiey (9521) 2009-06-02 22:44

Hi Kristaps,

This is stunning !!
Dream in reality..
I love to experience this moment ..

jp

Didi (36452) 2009-06-02 22:47

Hi Kris
Very fascinating !
Didd you used a special sensor for catching the electric flash ?
Because with a speed of 1/500 it's impossible to make it.
Well done.
Cheers

PixelTerror (86853) 2009-06-02 22:50

Hi Kristaps
Got you you're the guy who shot down AF447 !
Nice lighting, very intense and looking at the place a bit of rain can't harm
Have a nice day JY

bostankorkulugu (33984) 2009-06-02 23:15

man what a cool catch this is, no chance for me to make such pics, only guys with umbrellas after the rain may be... great stuff K... hugs... and kisses to K...

K...

delkoo (34792) 2009-06-02 23:27

hi kristaps,
you were there at the right moment to get this incredible scenery, the lighting is so sharp,well Drawn , as if it had been painted by a human hand.

didier

emka (22357) 2009-06-02 23:29

Hi Kristaps, Wow, what a photo! It is amazing how you manageg to make the lightning so clear and clouds look so impressive. You were lucky not to be inside Antelope Canyon... I hope that other days you had better weather but for the photographer such a storm is a challenge...

Warm regards

Malgorzata

sevy (13954) 2009-06-02 23:34

Hello Kristaps,

Surely, it is not the usual sunny landscapes we are used to see from this place, but surely it is sharing a strong ambiance and moment.
The ground and the river, under this light, are like a painting and the pattern of clouds ends to provide a wilderness landscape. The lightning is the extra bonus of this view.
Who said bad weather does not allow good photos?

Yves.

zeca (20026) 2009-06-03 0:07

Very good shot, Kristaps. Faster as Billy the Kid! I love this kind of capture, unic, strong. Excellent composition. Congrats!
Cheers!
Zeca

shevchenko (10072) 2009-06-03 0:16

Hi Kristaps,
Fantastic effects create by stormy sky and thunder above the grand canyon,
good captured to the natural phenomenon, well done.
Ally

Floydian (30970) 2009-06-03 0:35

Hi Kristaps,

1/500 sec..!!! Can you believe this...how much luck a man can have when shooting something like this...was the lightning posing for you? ;-)))
So you had terrible waeather...well man, that might be true, but this play of mother nature looks damn good. Look how those rain clouds are being sucked in by the table mountain the background...picture perfect..!!!

1/500....you must be joking ;-)))))

Take care,

Henk

bakes888 (18353) 2009-06-03 2:27

Hi Kristaps. Very dramatic! Perfect timing also. Well captured and thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

jasmis (51023) 2009-06-03 3:35

An impressive presentation. Just proper time to push the shutter.
Regards.

Angshu (34119) 2009-06-03 3:42

Brilliant stuff Kristaps! Everything leads to the centre of the picture where the clouds break down into rain. But the lightning...timing is superb! I can only admire.
With regards
Angshu

BennyV (4905) 2009-06-03 3:54

Hello Kristaps,

I love the contrast clash between the serenity of the landscape below and the impending chaos in the sky above it. This one is a hit!

Benny

kingurek (655) 2009-06-03 4:14

Wow!!!!
Congratulations on a great image. How did you catch this lightning? This composition is so well considered that I am wondering whether you have been standing still and waiting for this lighting ;)? Great sharpness and very impressive effect.

Greetings

Kinga

ascardino (55) 2009-06-03 4:58

Wow! spectacular shot!
How long do you wait before taking this shot?
Adriana

belido (16877) 2009-06-03 5:21

Hi Kristaps,

lucky you! The scenery is wonderful and there you were for this moment of the great nature. Correcting...it's not just about to be lucky, you really need some skills to get that. Great job!
Regards,
Carlos

Greg1949 (8519) 2009-06-03 5:33

WOW! this was worth waiting for, this is fantastic. Technicals are perfect and your timing is even better, great work Kristaps.

Greg

avene (11140) 2009-06-03 5:46

great shot, no question about that. and do you see that especially for your visit the lightning has been painted neon pink to better stand out against the dramatic storm clouds? cool stuff :)

hugs,
K.

Bruno40 (6442) 2009-06-03 5:47

Hi Kristaps
how lucky you are! what an amazing photo, with a lightning almost waiting there to have its picture taken (at 1/500 I cant capture even a smile of my baby!!)
Great photo
Cheers
Jorge

panos_pappas (36) 2009-06-03 8:58

wow.. it's one of the best i've ever seen.
i really like the movement and you've done a great work on the timing...
panos

pauloog (6917) 2009-06-03 11:55

Hello Kristaps,
Well captured this special view of mesa country.
Surprising you caught this at 1/500. Well done!
Regards,
Paul

Philippe (11787) 2009-06-03 13:20

Hi, Kristaps. A very dramatic sky contrasting well with the ochre tones of the foreground. The lightning streaking the sky is the icing on the cake here.
Have a nice day,
Philippe

isabela_sor (42471) 2009-06-03 13:29 [Comment]

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sebinho342 (18784) 2009-06-03 13:39

awesome picture, yes this is for sure the picture of the day !
Amazing one, so darky and so contrasty, a pure delight for my eyes

bantonbuju (48796) 2009-06-03 13:47

bravo - right time, right place you were in....

arizona dream... kusturica... well - i have to rush for the movie....

best, j.

worldcitizen (2305) 2009-06-03 13:57

Hello Kristaps,
Wow!!! I think this capture is far more dramatic and beautiful than one that you would get if the weather were sunny. That bolt of lightning is amazing, and I was also surprised to see that it was captured at 1/500. The landscape is awesome, and your POV lets us enjoy the entire scene in detail. Great photo! :-)

dareco (17104) 2009-06-03 16:24

When I looked at this I was thinking, this would be the moment that I would be packing up my camera and heading for shelter!! YIKES!! Nasty looking clouds! Excellent timing and detail. TFS

hispic (7399) 2009-06-03 20:12

Hi Kristaps,
Stunning shot indeed! It's truly wonderful to capture the lightning at 1/500 without using a lightning catcher, it's a superhuman feat.
Regards, Hisashi

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-06-04 0:27

Hi, Kristaps.
You go for your shots, that's why you get them.
The scenery is awesome, you can almost smell the rain, the dust, the electricity... This is freaking EXCELLENT!
As for Antelope Canyon : 11 people died in LOWER Antelope Canyon (UPPER Antelope Canyon is BY FAR the most popular & most visited) the afternoon of Aug. 12, 1997. Two were never found.
Have a good day & keep them coming. I'll talk to you later,
Fulvio.

federico (406) 2009-06-04 11:56

hi kristaps wonderfull shot, the ray is superb in a splendid panorama, great job regards fred

Vasa (6357) 2009-06-04 14:17

Hi Kristaps,

so, so strong atmospheric photo in the decisive moment. The title of Kusturica is welcome here. So proud of your recent visit. many thanks, friend,

Branko

alainh (35387) 2009-06-04 22:23

hello Kristaps
what a pleasure to re-discover your pictures !! the most difficult is to choose one ! so this one for this nice moment captured in this famous place. the rain is terribly beautifull ans as we say, this is sincerly a materpiece.
friendly, Kristaps
alain

baba_flies (8099) 2009-06-05 10:47

As we have dark clouds outside, I can hang over TE for another round, sounds familiar, hey? Yes unusual for this time of the year, also in Grand Junction, just half an hour or less driving from the Utah border. Your texts are so much fun! I would run but I am sure that some tourists stay but I also do not trust all guides to be honest, big money involved, so I trust the weather forcast but as I am not local either it is probably not so easy who to depend on. Wow, this is an exciting shot, totally great this one, it shows the dangers out here and you rather want to be inside I guess once the thunder comes closer. I have never seen Arizona Dream and I really wonder why because Johnny is well ... yes Johnny ... Happy weekend, Barbara.

Dpbours (220) 2009-06-05 23:40

Hello Kristaps,

Amazing photograph! Especially in combination with the story I just read of Kristine. Well, you still both managed to get some very decent shots :-)

Greetings,
Dennis

ben4321 (9807) 2009-06-06 5:22

Really atmospheric shot Kristaps, and great timing to catch the lightning strike.
I've always wanted to have a go at this kind of shot, and stormy Arizona looks like the perfect place to do it! A technique I'd like to try is to use a long exposure to catch multiple lightning strikes - imagine how great this shot would have been with strikes all along the horizon. You'd need to use a pretty strong ND filter, and slow film would make things easier too (bloody annoying that minimum ISO 200 setting on the Nikon DSLRs).
Anyway, I digress - this is a great shot. Might have been interesting to try it with a longer lens to make the lightning more dominant in the frame.
I like it as it is though.

Cheers,
Ben

kiks (6149) 2009-06-06 14:47

WOW... impressive and scary at the same time. The contrast of the light at the fg and the dark at the fg with the lightning is incredibel good. Love the result.
Thanks also voor the usefull note.
KIKs

npecanhuk (14718) 2009-06-07 5:35

Wow Kristaps!
This picture is magnificent and it'd be worth a look just because of the stunning lightning! But there's more: the stormy sky looks fabulous (though threatening) and the small piece of landscape down in the bottom side of the picture is no less interesting!
Amazing! Awesme!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

plimrn (19720) 2009-06-07 15:56

Hi Kristaps,
Poor baby!! You had to put up with the rain and this simply amazing lightening capture. The curve of the rain clouds would be impressive all by itself - but then you add the incredibly sharp lightening curving down one side. The two of you have managed to turn your gloomy weather into beauty.
HLJ, Pat

polpo56 (8120) 2009-06-08 14:30

Hi Kristaps,
Beautiful landscape. Congratulations on the timing and technique demonstrated the ability to make a picture not easy.
My best compliments.
Ciao
Ludo

Ralfhar (621) 2009-06-08 21:10

Superbe shoot! félicitation!
++
denis

greg64g (11193) 2009-06-10 12:55

Hi Kristaps

I discover with high interest your portfolio and it's amazing. i have no critique to do. well done
Greg

batalay (21205) 2009-06-11 22:25

Hello Kristaps,

What a fabulous capture of the lightning against a backdrop of a distressed sky. That fast shutter speed has frozen in time nature's most ephemeral of all phenomena. Warm regards,

Bulent

Wandering_Dan (3293) 2009-06-21 9:43

Hi,Kristaps -

Lightning shots are a matter of both luck AND preparation; clearly, you had both. (I read your reply to Didi.) Very powerful shot, great handling of the light as well as the lightning.

And I now feel better about canceling my trip to Antelope Valley this October! (Too many scheduling conflicts was the real reason.)

Best,
Dan

PS: The locals may not thank global climate change for long. "Enough" can quickly become "too much," especially when neither the soil nor their culture is prepared to deal with an extra abundance.

DannyJ (284) 2009-06-22 12:04

What a beautiful scene! The sun in the foreground really adds to the drama of the storm. Great timing with the lightning too!

xuaxo (5835) 2009-06-23 10:20

Hi Kristaps,
Outstanding! It's a picture I'd like to shot.
What can I say more?
Greetings,
Francisco

stego (22478) 2009-07-06 19:36

Hi Kristaps,
Well... I am sorry that the weather paid you a nasty trick, but quite cynically I say that it rewarded us with this unusual and amazing view. That sky is so fantastic that it didn't need the lightening to render the photo gorgeous.
Regards,
José

tola_ch2004 (496) 2009-07-21 9:18 [Comment]

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ssalonis (17) 2009-08-03 0:09

Hi,
this is great shot! How amazing flash, very clear and the rain at the back looks like it want to hit the same point on the ground. Very interesting.

Photo Information

Copyright: Kristaps KL (zmey) (7282)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-05-30
Categories: Nature
Camera: Nikon D300, 18-200 f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom, RAW, Nikon CircPolar II 72mm
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-06-02 22:12
Favorites: 1 [view]