This photographer loves shooting lightning!  My internal lightning sensor is strong and at the sound of the crack of thunder it is all hands on deck.  My favorite shooting location for lightning is my house.  I live on a hill with 360 degrees views over Pinedale, the Upper Green River Valley and The Wind River Mountains.  I get to see the sun rise and set.  But, when those thunderstorms roll it I have a front row seat to the visual show.  I will typically shoot with a 35mm lens, tripod and 20-25 second exposures.  A tripod is essential, manual focus on the lens and patience.  I point towards the storm, hit the shutter and wait.  I hit the shutter again as soon as the timer expires.  You’d be surprised how many times the lightning bolt occurs between when the shutter closes and when it is triggered again.  But, when it happens it is glorious.

There is a place whose beauty cannot be described.  A perfectly shaped valley surrounded by high alpine peaks.  The colors in the fall are beautiful.  Aspens, willows, alder and lodgepole pine.  I love shooting this location because the valley is so perfectly balanced and the head of the valley contains a huge cliff left by glacial activity 10,000 years ago.  It is a gorgeous hike to the head of the valley enjoying the views of the surrounding peaks, the valley head and the many creeks draining into the valley.  We don’t name locations on this blog.  Their locations can be found with work and sound detective work.  Don’t disturb the moose, elk and deer when you get there.