CraigBILL

In order to get really great storm and lightning photographs, you got to get up and go - sometimes at the last minute as one develops.  During this storm season, I watched as a string of storms formed along the edge of a cold front colliding with warm air coming up from the Gulf of Mexico. I love this time of year! Its only a matter of time before BOOM! And as the day dropped into evening, the light show was on... Grabbing my camera and equipment, I set out driving in the direction of the brightest lighting blasts. By the time the central part of this storm settled over Big Spring, Texas, I was desperate for a foreground subject. I knew time was ticking - as the storm was starting to calm. I finally found this really old windmill, and without finding out anything about it, I dove over the barbwire fence and through tall weeds. Looking up at the windmill, I lined up my camera with the bolts of lightning, pulled out my remote shutter release and began shot after shot until the storm fell apart. It was so difficult to get the camera to frame the storm and windmill, and only a handful of shots had everything in the frame and settings correct for that shot. “Sky Lights” was one of those last few shots - and then the lightning almost completely disappeared!